‘Are meerkats particularly skilled at cooperation?’ This question comprises the foundation of a new scientific study conducted at Antwerp ZOO. Researchers used a 3D printer to develop a special device to present the animals with a unique challenge. Can two meerkats cooperate successfully enough to secure a delicious treat for both of them? Or will they, driven by self-interest, end up empty-handed?
Antwerp ZOO’s research staff spent an impressive 430 hours observing the zoo’s owl-faced monkeys and gorillas as the animal experts prepared these two primate species to share an enclosure. ‘This is one of the most significant behavioural observation projects we have ever conducted’, explains Animal Welfare Research Coordinator Marina Salas. ‘Thanks to the vast amount of information we’ve collected, experts from all disciplines can collaborate in a scientifically substantiated manner.
A healthy diet is of tremendous importance to both humans and animals. Nutritionists and other specialists are gaining increasingly more knowledge about nutrition and its effects on our bodies. The past few decades were marked by a growing understanding among the scientific community that an animal’s diet should not only provide for its nutritional needs, but should also stimulate its natural behaviour.
The aviary of the future is located in the very heart of the City of Antwerp, at the edge of Antwerp ZOO. ‘We have 23 species of birds flying about in our Savannah Aviary, all of whom we can check up on individually due to our recall training,’ explains Jan Dams, Curator of Birds and Animal Care Coordinator. Thanks to months of training and the expertise built up by the zookeepers, each species now recognises a specific signal that prompts it to spread its wings and fly straight to its carers.
The European Association for Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA) and the Verband der Zoologischen Gärten (VdZ) proudly announce the opening of a brand-new international digital library. The ambitious project has been given the name ‘Zoo Science Library’ and will contain academic publications from all over the world. Every research project in this e-library was conducted with the involvement of a modern zoo. Our own Centre for Research and Conservation (CRC) has also contributed to this unique project.
Chimpanzees have political work on their agendas day in and day out. Making coalitions, networking and monitoring the others' behavior: it is crucial that these great apes can focus on those tasks. ZOO Antwerp explains why great apes should be able to focus on their own society.
Chocolate can help save golden-headed lion tamarins. We know this after 20 years of research into the callitrichid monkey species in Bahia, Brazil. when the cocoa from which the chocolate is made, comes from a cabruca.
ZOO Planckendael's bonobo group is one of the largest in Europe. In the wild, intelligent primates also live together in large groups according to their social system's fission-fusion principle. During the day, they split into smaller subgroups and in the evening, the small groups often merge back into a larger group to build a nest close to each other.
The corona pandemic doesn’t only affect humans, but animals as well. In collaboration with the University of Antwerp, we searched for the presence of the COVID-19- virus in 1.116 manure samples from the mammals of ZOO Antwerp and ZOO Planckendael.
The family Barbary macaques, brought to Planckendael ZOO in 2019, display the same behaviour as in the wild. This is evident from close observation and scientific analyses. The animals were rescues from an illegal breeding centre.
Zoos sometimes exchange animals. This is always preceded by a process of careful thought. Such aspects as genetics, gender, age and character are taken into consideration. Introductions into new groups happen at the animal's own pace.
Antwerp ZOO & Planckendael ZOO collaborate with Utrecht University in a scientific quest to develop a vaccine against herpes in elephants. In our own lab our researchers are also seeking to identify symptoms that trigger the virus.