Antwerp Zoo

Now 163 year old Antwerp Zoo is a not too be missed part of a visit to Antwerp, especially but not only if one is visiting with children. Having started as a curiosum for the wealthy it has nowadays achieved a status as one of the foremost zoological gardens in the world and an authority in breeding programs.

The Antwerp Zoo has developed an international reputation because of its participation in international breeding programs for threatened species, such as the okapi, the bonobo, the Golden Lion Tamarin and the Congo peacock.

Animal Facts

On September 2008 a healthy Okapi was born at the Antwerp Zoo. Making it one of the only 56t Okapis in all European Zoos.

Congo peacock: Very little is known about this species. It was first recorded as a species in 1936 by Dr. James Chapin based on two stuffed specimens at Congo Museum in Belgium.

Native to the Atlantic coastal forests of Brazil, the Golden Lion Tamarin is an endangered species and among the rarest animals in the world, with an estimated wild population of "more than 1,000 individuals" and a captive population maintained at approximately 490 individuals.

The Bonobo is endangered and only is found in the wild in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Along with the Common Chimpanzee, the Bonobo is the closest relative to humans. The species was first discovered in 1928, based on his analysis of a skull in the Tervuren museum in Belgium.

The Zoo is also very well known for its architecture. From that period only the cages of the birds of pray; the Egyptian temple and okapi building have been conserved.

The giraffe house is particularly interesting. You can also get acquainted with nocturama, the planetarium, the winter gardens, and Vriesland, the home of the penguins.

Hours:

The park is open every day from 10 AM. The closing time depends on the season.
You must set aside at least half a day for a visit because there really is so much to see and do.

Closing times:
January & February: 16h45
March & April: 17h30
May & June: 18u00
July & August: 19h00
September: 18h00
October: 17h30
November & December: 16h45

Closing times vary during holidays.

Its location:

Koningin Astridplein 26

2000 Antwerp

- originally just outside the city walls, now an oasis of peace in the heart of the city, next door to Central Station - is typical of the nineteenth-century origins.

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