Antwerp flamingos spend the winter in Mechelen (Antwerp 2018)
The 41 Cuban penguins from the Antwerp Zoo have temporarily moved to Planckendael and now live there together with a group of 75 Chilean flamingos. The temporary move is necessary because work is planned for the benefit of the Antwerp flamingos and their neighbours, the black-footed penguins.
Bieke Lathouwers
The sixteen black-footed penguins in the Antwerp Zoo will receive new and different nest boxes. “Experience tells us that their homes are close together to give them enough privacy,” says Zoo spokesperson Amanda Wielemans. “We are now going to remove their flats and replace them with detached villas. Together, new sand is brought in and new plantations are made. The basin will also receive a fresh layer of protection.”
While working in the penguin enclosure, the animals move to the indoor enclosure with smaller overnet outdoor enclosure of the flamingos. Those animals therefore hibernate in Planckendael. There these elegant pink birds live in the walk-through aviary on the American continent. It is an advantage that is spanned with nets, which is necessary in view of the confinement obligation.
“Because of the confinement obligation surrounding bird flu, which is increasingly invoked and lasts longer, we are also looking at how we can permanently cover the flamingo bed in Antwerp,” says Amanda Wielemans. “Now the flamingos only have a very small space outside that is covered. During the confinement obligation, they have little space and want to restore that.”
When both beds are ready, both the flamingos and the black-footed penguins are welcome back in their own enclosure.