A new blog after months. Photos taken during a visit to Ouwehands Zoo. In between I have been to Burgers zoo and the Orchid farm, or Pantropica as it is now called. I didn’t have time to really do anything with the photos. I hope to catch up on that soon.
What struck me again was how expensive the zoos in the Netherlands are. Especially in winter. In the winter months I can go to Zoom Erlebniswelt in Gelsenkirchen, Germany for €15.50. For Ouwehands you pay € 28.50. You also pay €8 to park your car in a muddy sandbox full of holes. In Germany you pay a maximum of €3 for parking, but it is usually free. I imagine that you have to spend on a day at the zoo with your family. That is not affordable!
The prices mean that you can question the right of zoos to exist. Even though I often visit zoos, I struggle with the fact that animals are confined. Especially when it comes to very intelligent animals, such as great apes. I then want to believe that they play an important role in the conservation of species and the education of youth. But with these kinds of prizes, it is only accessible to families with a high income.
Of course it is expensive to keep the animals properly. But it would be nice if the financing did not have to come from the entrance tickets.
My day in Ouwehand was wonderful. The weather was beautiful. A record for the temperature on March 14. That’s not OK either, but it was enjoyable. I have been practicing with the new camera that I bought around Christmas. It still takes some searching, but the Canon EOS R8 produces beautiful photos. Together with new features in Lightroom, you can see the result below.
These photos were taken here: