As someone who pushes for animals to receive the best welfare possible, I have very contradicting thoughts about zoos. Rotterdam zoo is classed as the ‘prettiest zoo in Europe’ but does that mean they have good welfare?
I understand that zoos allow for expanding our knowledge on animals, and are a great way to pass on this information to the general public. However, I believe that zoos don’t always have the animals best interest at heart. Animals suffer in captivity with something called abnormal behaviours, which is when they repeatedly perform a behaviour that injures them, like pacing or hair pulling. They also only ever perform these behaviours in captivity due to stress.
Be sure to check out my post on animal exploitation so you can get a good view on what I mean by good welfare.
Disclaimer: All animals and prices mentioned are for August 2020 so are likely to change over time.
Rotterdam Zoo General Info
As you can see on the map above, Rotterdam zoo is located North-West of the city. If you are arriving by car, it is €9.50 for a days parking.
Ticket prices are €24.50 per adult and €20 for children over the age of 3 (children under the age of 3 go free).
The zoo is also known as ‘Blijdorp’ which translates to ‘Happy Village’ and it’s what you will see on the signs if you are driving in.
The layout of the zoo is done by continents. There is an aquarium at the entrance, as well as the racoons, followed by North America, then South America, Africa, Europe, Australia and finally Asia.
You can download the zoo app for a virtual map and to see all the restaurants too.
What animals do they have?
I was super impressed by the variety of animals they have at the zoo! From butterflies to polar bears to elephants to lions.
Polar bears
There were 2 polar bears in the zoo, both kept in separate enclosures as they’re solitary animals. Polar bears are among the worst animals to keep in captivity as they roam thousands of miles on a daily basis, which they cannot do in an enclosure.
They also have evolved to live in arctic conditions so seeing them in an enclosure full of grass doesn’t seem right. Check out this post for more information.
Beside the fact the animals in general don’t sit well in captivity, I would say they had a decent enclosure with big pool of water. I believe there could have been more space (well, I would say that regardless).
The animals themselves seemed relaxed, which is definitely an impressive feat for these animals. Their coat was glossy and they seemed in brilliant health so those are all great qualities.
Red Panda
I was pleasantly surprised by the large space this red panda had; it was practically two enclosures. One side had some type of antelope inside, whereas the other was empty (I’m assuming that is the red panda’s private area) and they were linked by treetops that the panda walked across.
The treetops that linked the enclosures were above the walkway, so you got an incredible view of the red panda.
Siberian Tiger
There were 2 Siberian tigers at Rotterdam Zoo. The one in the picture was resting under a heat lamp whereas the other tiger (pictured below) was resting in the sun.
I had concerns with the tiger enclosure, and I really hope they have an additional indoor enclosure as this photo wasn’t taken with a zoom camera. There wasn’t must opportunity for the tiger to escape human interaction; there were lots of people around this area.
Asiatic Elephants
The video shows one of three elephants playing with the enrichment. This is really great to see as it shows the elephants are being kept busy.
They had a large enclosure, but I wouldn’t say it was big enough in comparison to how much they roam. However, it’s certainly bigger than other elephant enclosures I have seen.
One of the elephants was missing their tusks, but I couldn’t read the information (as it was all in Dutch!) to see why.
Emperor Penguins
The amount of swimming space the penguins had was wonderful! All of the penguins could easily swim around in the space provided, which is great.
As penguins are social animals, they live in large rafts (when in water. On land they’re called waddles!). From my limited knowledge, I believe there was enough penguins to replicate what they would have in the wild, but I am not an expert on this.
Indian Rhino
Rhinos absolutely fascinate me! Depending on their species, they have such varying temperaments; black rhinos are very aggressive, white rhinos are super placid. Indian rhinos, however, I know barely anything about.
According to Save the Rhino, Indian rhino’s are very territorial, which is why I am surprised there were two in the same enclosure. However, since these rhinos do not have ‘breeding seasons’, it is possible they were attempting to breed the two.
I wish there was more vegetation for these beautiful animals, they seemed way too exposed. They also love to swim, and there was no area for this to happen.
Amur Leopard
There was a lot of places for this beautiful leopard to hide in his enclosure, so I felt lucky to get such a great view of him. I believe it was feeding time, hence why he ended up watching a certain part of the enclosure.
The leopard himself looked to be in great condition, which implies a proper diet and good veterinary care.
Komodo Dragon
The last animal I am going to mention in this blog post is the Komodo dragon! The one pictured is the only one they had, and I believe he is fairly young as he’s smaller than the model they had next to his enclosure.
This guy had a very barren enclosure, which is a far cry from the islands of Indonesia with lots of green.
It’s very hard to determine the welfare of a reptile as determining their health from a distance is practically impossible, and they don’t really do much during the day.
We also saw…
Overall Impression of Rotterdam Zoo
I do believe that this is a great place for captive animals. Some enclosures could be expanded to improve the welfare, but this is a difficult and expensive task. I also think some animals could have more enrichment, like the elephant who had the ball, as their enclosures were too barren.
However, if an animal had to be in captivity, I believe this would be one of the best zoos for it. It’s a great place for a day trip (check out my post on Zandvoort Beach if you want more day trip ideas) and lots of fun for the family.
There’s a variety of restaurants you can choose from, and multiple gift shops which won’t break the bank.
Haven’t been to a zoo in ages, prefer safaris! Even though the one here looks appealing, and such variety of wildlife. The red panda and penguin seem to be enjoying in fairly good spaces, the bigger cats however like tiger and leopard I feel always face spacial crunch in zoos. Still wondering how the Polar bear landed there, intriguing!
I also prefer safaris, they’re so much more educational and exhilarating! Thank you for reading
I also have concerns about zoos and havent visited one since I lived in Japan in high school. My host family took me to one and I was horrified at how small the enclosures were. Granted the enclosures in Rotterdam appear to be much bigger, they are still enclosures.
I was also a bit taken aback by the fact that they have polar bears there. Surely the Netherlands is far too warm for them!
I also agree that rhinos are fascinating creatures!
Unfortunately that’s the second warning I’ve received about zoos in Japan so I’ll certainly be avoiding them.
Well I think anyway but their natural habitat is too warm for them!
Being from New Orleans where the Audubon Society does its best to care for animals, I guess I dont have as much reservation about Zoos as perhaps I should. I understand the concerns though. I would love to see the Polar Bears too though I may wonder how happy they are living in an environment somewhat different than their own. Overall, though, it seems that the Rotterdam Zoo is trying to make a positive impact on species and perhaps through breeding they will continue to help prevent extiction.
That’s really interesting how the zoo near you has eased your concerns! I’m interviewing a zoo keeper at the moment and asking how zoos have an impact on species and extinction so I’m really looking forward to learning more about it and sharing what I learn with you all
As fascinating as it is to see animals up close (especially a polar bear, who would’ve thought?!), I agree with you that zoos do not really have the welfare of animals at heart. It’s even more distressing when there are animals which have been removed so much from their natural habitat.
Yes I certainly agree. Thank you for reading and commenting!
I think the last time we visited a zoo was in Australia back in 2004. That was a great place to see native Australian animals that we would likely not have seen otherwise.
I would love to go to Australia one day! But maybe I’ll find a way of seeing those animals in the wild
Like you, I am always hesitant about visiting zoos (don’t visit any in Japan- it is far too depressing!) It is such a tough call…some of these animals seem like they have a decent amount of space, but I feel bad for the poor polar bears.
Thank you for the warning! I did my research on Rotterdam zoo before I visited so I was confident I wouldn’t experience anything heartbreaking but the polar bear was certainly difficult to see
We are against animal tourism of any kind, be it a zoo or elephant rides, etc.,It is sad to see exotic animals restrained in enclosures.
Yes that’s completely understandable. I’ve come to learn that this is a very strong emotion which is brilliant
I haven’t been to a zoo in years as I’ve seen heartbreaking scenes in the past (like the albino gorilla in Barcelona zoo that would only constantly pace around). It does reassure me a bit to see that there are zoos out there that are more respectful towards the animals and in recreating their natural habitat and living conditions. Thanks for sharing your experience, it was very valuable!
Thank you for taking the time to read and comment! I’ve got more posts on the way about welfare in zoos so I can’t wait to read your thoughts on them too
I always analyze the places that animals are kept! I am always torn, I know that zoos are good for education and research but sometimes i feel that
The animals are taken advantage of. I’m glad that overall you feel that this is a good place for them.
After reading some of the comments on here, I’m glad to see the overall consensus is that most people are weary of zoos which is brilliant. It makes me want to research people’s thoughts more
I think that many of us are conflicted about zoos. Some do great conservation work. But a lot just seem too small. If it creates a desire to find out more about the animals maybe it’s a good thing.
Yes certainly. It is better then people doing things like lion petting for sure
After seeing animals in the wild and/or in a huge private reserves in Africa I am also hesitant about visiting zoos as it upsets me to see animals in small enclosures. It is good to read a post from that perspective where you were looking to see how well cared for the animals are and if they have enough space. Ultimately I understand why some zoos exist and why people like to visit them, but it is extremely important to read posts like this and to research before visiting them to ensure the animals are properly cared for.
These are my thoughts exactly. Hopefully this post can help others decide if the zoo is worth visiting, as it’s my goal to make people aware of how well animals are treated