All life on our blue planet depends on the ocean. Yet humanity continues to treat it with alarming carelessness. Biodiversity is declining year after year as a result of overfishing, pollution, and climate change. This makes World Ocean Day, celebrated annually on June 8, more important than ever. The good news is that with the right measures, we can still reverse this trend.
Science never stands still in our parks. Every day, researchers, keepers, vets and curators deepen their understanding of the animals we take care of and protect – both here and in their natural habitats. It’s time to reflect on a year of findings that truly impact animal welfare, conservation and species management. And, as always, our scientists are already looking forward, because there are still so many questions waiting for answers.
In autumn 2025, Planckendael ZOO became home to a new bull elephant. Upali’s arrival was crucial to the European species conservation programme that safeguards the genetic diversity of this endangered species. However, introducing a new bull to an existing herd is rarely straightforward, especially if you’re dealing with a species that literally weighs tonnes and has an exceptionally complex social structure.
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.
A red panda at ZOO Planckendael has given birth to two cubs. That is great news for Europe’s breeding programme and a good opportunity to reflect on the lot of their wild cousins. Because while these births are promising for the survival of the species, the red panda remains under threat in its natural habitat.
After decades of preparation, Przewalski horses - the last remaining wild horses on Earth - are returning to their original habitat in central Kazakhstan where they had been extinct since the 1960s. That reintroduction was jeopardised this spring by unprecedented flooding: the Uly Zhylanshik river rose five metres due to sudden thawing, linked to climate change. The reintroduction centre was badly damaged, but the animals and their keepers remained unharmed.
Global warming is putting pressure on our oceans, and with them everything that lives below their surface. Corals in particular: 8 out of 10 reefs worldwide have been affected by coral bleaching, due to rising water temperatures and water acidification. At ZOO Antwerp, we are actively building solutions: with one of the largest reef aquariums in Europe, we breed corals ourselves, share knowledge and support restoration projects in nature.
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.
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.
Scientists at Antwerp ZOO and Planckendael ZOO have succeeded in substantially curbing wildlife hunting in the Central African nation of Cameroon, particularly in regard of the chimpanzee and the western lowland gorilla. They persuaded families living near the Dja Faunal Reserve to stop hunting these animals for commercial purposes and switch to more sustainable, animal-friendly alternatives.
The divers of Antwerp ZOO’s reef aquarium help this artificial coral reef maintain its precarious balance. Just as in nature, this fragile ecosystem contains plants, fish, corals, invertebrates, crabs, micro-organisms and so on, all of which are strongly affected by light intensity and water quality. Various parameters, such as temperature, pH level, salinity, phosphate level and water currents are monitored continuously here.
De Zegge, located in Geel and the oldest nature reserve in Flanders, is installing a ‘water treatment station’ that is based on plants. ‘In times of drought, water must be guided into the low-lying peatland to keep the soil moist enough to sustain its soil organisms and flora, as well as to maintain, the natural functions of the ecosystem, such as CO2 capture.