Stories

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• Primatology
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• Population management
• Animal Nutrition

1. 

   A Look Inside the Head of an Asiatic Lion: Yarzar Under the Scanner

   Asiatic lions are extremely rare, and highly vulnerable. Only about 350 remain in the wild. This makes the species particularly at risk, and maintaining a healthy reserve population in zoos is vitally important. Every Asiatic lion plays a crucial role in safeguarding the future of the species. At Planckendael ZOO, we do everything we can to protect these endangered big cats. That’s why young Yarzar recently underwent an extensive medical examination, including both an MRI and a CT scan.

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2. 

   World Okapi Day 2025: In Search of New Conservation Prospects in Congo

   The okapi – a mysterious inhabitant of Congo’s forests – has been inextricably linked to Antwerp ZOO ever since 1919. Today this link remains as strong as ever. Together with its conservation branch, the Antwerp Zoo Foundation (AZF), Antwerp ZOO continues to fight for the survival of the okapi. Its efforts are now expanding to a new part of the okapi’s natural habitat: the Rubi-Télé region in Congo. A feasibility study is currently being carried out to explore how okapis in the wild can be better protected.

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3. 

   Family secrets revealed: DNA analysis identifies the father of chimpanzee Zabari

   How do you work out who fathered a baby chimpanzee when there are five adult males in the group? And why does it matter? A single hair sample and DNA analysis not only establish paternity, but are also crucial for breeding policy, parentage studies and genetic management in the European breeding programme. Find out how genetic material is collected, analysed and interpreted at Antwerp ZOO.

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4. 

   The extinct Vietnamese pheasant will fly home again

   The Vietnamese pheasant has not been spotted in its natural habitat since the beginning of this century, which is why Antwerp ZOO is taking action. Thanks to an international breeding programme and reintroduction project, this remarkable bird will soon have a new chance to thrive in the forests of its native Vietnam. Genetic research by our own scientists also revealed that one of the Vietnamese pheasant pairs bred at Antwerp ZOO is a perfect match for reintroduction into their native habitat in Vietnam.

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5. 

   Planckendael ZOO Helps Save Endangered Slender-Horned Gazelles in Tunisia

   Planckendael ZOO is offering the slender-horned gazelle, one of the most critically endangered gazelle species in the world, hope for a secure future. The ZOO has been supporting a vital breeding programme in Tunisia’s Sidi Toui National Park by providing financial aid, sharing its expertise in population management, and donating several of its own carefully bred and raised animals.

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6. 

   From the lab to the blue carpet: Biobank fascinates film festival audience

   It is, of course, something completely different. Our scientists often venture beyond their familiar laboratories and typical zoo environments, but they seldom put themselves in the spotlights at an international film festival. In the Dutch city of Nijmegen, two of our experts enthusiastically joined the panel discussion following the viewing of a documentary on the San Diego Zoo’s Frozen Zoo.

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7. 

   Covid research in ZOO mammals

   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.

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8. 

   Biobank as Backup

   ZOO Antwerp has set up a Biobank for European zoos. As a co-initiator, our scientists collect biological samples from as many animals from European zoos as possible in super freezers.

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9. 

   The truth about Sulawesi

   It appears that Sulawesi is not as old as it was previously believed to be. Four million years ago just the central part of the island was above water; it was only two million years ago that the rest of the island was formed. This has been revealed by animal DNA analysis.

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10. 

    Fantastic four black vultures

    First ever pair of black vultures to adopt two chicks at once. Scientists from Antwerp ZOO & Plankendael ZOO have also succeeded in analysing DNA from dried out blood vessels in a hatched egg shell of a black vulture.

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11. 

    May I have a piece of your fur?

    In Brazil, we collect fur from golden-headed lion tamarins to find out how they are changing, genetically. Deforestation leaves them isolated, and they don’t swap some genes. In order to avoid having to catch the tamarins, we are testing a system with an adhesive roller here.

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12. 

    Vultures… Making a comeback

    In the summer of 2018, we released black vultures in Bulgaria. It’s the first step in setting up new breeding colonies in a country where the last breeding bird was seen fifty years ago . Is this the beginning of a new Bulgarian population?

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