Diergaarde Blijdorp - History

History

The original Rotterdam Zoo was lost in the bombing of Rotterdam in World War II, which destroyed most of the city centre. Some streetnames, such as Diergaardesingel (Zoolane), still recall the old zoo. Blijdorp was rebuilt slightly to the north, where it opened to the public in its current location on December 7, 1940. The new zoo was designed by Dutch architect Sybold van Ravesteyn, who designed the central railway station in Rotterdam, as well. In 2001, 'Blijdorp' became almost twice as large when it opened a new western part, called Oceanium, with its main attraction an aquarium. In 2007, the zoo was declared a rijksmonument.

In May 2007 the zoo appeared in the news when Bokito, Blijdorp's silverback gorilla, escaped from his enclosure and seriously injured a female visitor. Before the attack, the woman was a regular visitor of the zoo (on average 4 times per week) and claimed to have a special bond with Bokito, regularly touching the glass between her and the gorilla, making eye contact and smiling to him.

In October 2010, the city of Rotterdam decided to reduce its yearly funding of Blijdorp from nearly 4.5 to about 0.8 million Euro until 2015. The zoo and its supporters protested the decision, claiming it is unclear if the zoo can continue to operate with the reduced budget.