How to Manage a Sustainable Zoo
Featuring Artis, a zoo with leaders conscious about climate impact
Artis Zoo: a burst of nature in the middle of a bustling city
When enjoying a city trip in the capital of The Netherlands, it might just happen you bump into Artis: a zoo located in the centre of Amsterdam. Besides getting animals in contact with people, its second main focus is on sustainability. However, you might not notice that while paying attention to the many cute animals in the zoo, such as the pygmy marmoset. Therefore, I have listed sustainable ideas applied in Artis, so next time you visit you will look at your surroundings in a different way.
But first; some history.
Artis has been around since as early as 1838. Differences between then and now are not hard to find, though; at first, only some parrots and monkeys could be found wandering around. Slowly, the collection of animals became bigger, with lions, tigers, zebras, and a kangaroo and snake giving more life to the park. From 1850 on, Artis could really be called a zoo. Now, it is one of the most popular attractions in Amsterdam, visited yearly by over 1,4 million people. Around 500 species crawl, walk, swim, fly and jump around anno 2020.
Sustainability
The Zoo tries to be sustainable in many ways, which I have listed below (with the help of Artis’ Dutch web page).
#1 Electricity
Solar panels on the buildings’ roofs provide energy for all kinds of electricity used in the park. They are even attached to carts used for plant irrigation, feeding their batteries while driving.
#2 Food
Green waste from trees and other plants is used to provide hoof animals, elephants, primates and smaller mammals in their needs. Fish fed to penguins and sea lions is bought from a supplier who catches fish in a sustainable way. This is strictly checked every year.
#3 Compost
Coffee residuals are usually thrown away in households, and on the website Artis mentions these comprise almost 95% of what is used for making coffee. Therefore, the zoo keepers gather and use it for creating fertile ground on which flowers and mushrooms can grow. A lot of green waste not fed to animals is given to farmers, who use it for fertilization of their fields. Feces of animals like elephants is also used for making natural fertilizers.
#4 Waste Disposal
Waste that does not turn into a snack or compost is separated in as many as twelve containers. A lot of that is, of course, recycled.
#5 Water
A lot of water is needed for taking care of the animals; for letting the animals drink, for their baths, and to water plants with. Rain is collected in tanks and afterwards used for all these purposes. Consequently, less tap water is needed. Another positive is that no calcium is present in rain water.
#6 Getting Rid of Unwanted Guests
Mice, birds and insects are, unwantedly, attracted to temperature and food in the zoo. As little poison as possible is used in the zoo. Instead, many natural enemies are recruited to get rid of them. Meerkats and cats eat mice, ichneumon wasps feed on insects and spiders and frogs swallow many ants a day.
#7 Conservation of Biodiversity
Artis Zoo contributes to the conservation of biodiversity both in Holland as well as abroad. They contribute to breeding programs for endangered plants and animals. It also forms its own habitat for native species by planting nature suitable as nests for birds.
Tips for staying at home or taking it outside
I can feel the urge of visiting Artis again while writing this. I hope I have made you enthusiastic as well. Unfortunately, with the current situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, this is impossible. Therefore, I have some other ideas for you in the mean time. Firstly, you could try to fold origami animals and pretend they’re real, as mentioned in this post (along with other tips against boredom while quarantined):
However, I must admit, you need a lot of perseverence as well as imagination (and maybe a hint of crazy) to create your own zoo at home. Luckily, Artis also maintains a Facebook page, on which they share live videos and updates about their animals. On their feed, I read they are expecting a new baby elephant in Spring. I hope they will show a livestream when it arrives!
Nonetheless, the want to see the animals in real life will probably only get stronger when watching live feed. Therefore, I hope we can get out of our houses again soon. Once we can, I recommend you to visit Artis Zoo. Specifically, to look for the pygmy marmoset, which remains at all times my favourite animal of the park. I hope that after reading this story, you will not only see the animals but also the sustainable projects underlying the park’s vision.
Zoos and the well-being of animals
I do know there is a lot to say about visiting zoos. Even though Artis is known for taking good care of their animals, even having halved the amount of species, they are locked up in a place much different than their natural habitat. Is visiting zoos still defensible from an ethical viewpoint nowadays? I plan to focus more on this in a future post.
Also stay updated for a photographic report of the pygmy marmoset!
More from me:
Thanks for reading! I hope you like my post. I am Mo Schouten, a Biology student located in the Netherlands. Capturing my environment with a camera is what I love most. — — Comments as well as tips are always welcome; leave them below!
