Baby boom at Dublin Zoo with 40 new additions for 2017!
By Kim O'Leary
It’s been a very busy and exciting year for Dublin Zoo with 40 new animal additions including the birth of a southern white rhinoceros calf, two Asian elephant calves, an eastern bongo and no less than three scimitar-horned oryx!
In July, Dublin Zoo opened the doors to Zoorassic World, the Zoo’s new home for reptiles past and present which features Stan, a life-size replica fossil of a Tyrannosaurus rex that lived 65 million years ago.
Wild Lights, a new a spectacular night-time event featuring giant colourful lanterns and illuminated sculptures inspired by wildlife was also launched to the public in November – so it’s been a very busy year!
Commenting on the year that was, Leo Oosterweghel, Director at Dublin Zoo, said; “2017 has been a truly remarkable year for all of us here at Dublin Zoo. We were delighted to welcome a total of 40 new animals to Dublin Zoo, including the births of two Asian elephants, a southern white rhinoceros, an eastern bongo calf and no less than three scimitar-horned oryx - a species classified as extinct in the wild."
He said:"Dublin Zoo is a not-for-profit organisation. We are continuously reinvesting in the Zoo, building world-class habitats that closely reflect the animals’ natural environments. We are committed to offering a memorable day out to all our visitors be they families, couples or groups. This year we have also introduced new, innovative events which have proved to be an enormous success!
Dublin Zoo will be open over the Christmas period with the exception of Christmas Day and St. Stephen’s Day. Dublin Zoo’s opening hours are 9.30am-4pm, with last entry at 3pm.
The full list of new animals include: one Eastern Bongo, two Asian Elephant Calves, three Scimitar-horned Oryx, one Southern White Rhinoceros, one Amur Tiger, one Sulawesi crested macaque, two Common Peafowl, two Red Ruffled Lemurs, one Goeldi’s monkey, one Bornean Orangutan, four Star Tortoises, one Turquoise Dwarf Gecko, one White-Naped Mangabey, seven Chilean Flamingos, Bornean Bloodsucker Lizards, one Citron-Crested Cockatoo, one Okapi, and two Green Tree Python, and two Panther Chameleon.