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ZooParc kondigt komst unieke dieren aan, waaronder bedreigde dril
The drill, a highly endangered monkey species not yet seen in a Dutch zoo, is coming to ZooParc Overloon. Two other animal species not yet seen in the Netherlands are also coming to the park: the yellow-backed diver and the African turtleneck porcupine. From 2025, visitors will be able to admire the animals in the new expedition area Ngyuwe. A total of 17 animal species will live here, 13 of which are new to ZooParc.
With the arrival of the drills, ZooParc is contributing to the conservation of this endangered species. Four drills are coming to ZooParc: one male and three females. A first in the Netherlands, as no other Dutch zoo houses this species. The animals come over from France and are part of a European management programme (EEP) aimed at building up a genetically healthy reserve population.
Drils live in the dense rainforests of Tropical Africa and face various threats there, such as habitat loss and poaching. Only three thousand drils are expected to live in the wild, classifying this species as endangered by the IUCN Red List. New zoos housing this species were urgently needed to maintain a healthy and sufficiently large population in Europe. Indeed, outside Europe, this species is not kept in zoos anywhere; the European population is the only reserve population outside the drills that live in the wild.
‘The arrival of the drill fits well with our mission to play an active role in the conservation of endangered species,’ says Steven van den Heuvel, head of animal care and curator of ZooParc. ‘We are proud to be able to offer these special animals a home while contributing to their survival.’
Unique in the Netherlands
ZooParc has recently started building expedition area Ngyuwe, which takes visitors to the heart of Tropical Africa. During 2025, a wide variety of animal species can be seen here, a total of three of which are unique in the Netherlands. Besides the drill, these are the African tasseled porcupine and the yellow-backed diver. Only a few of the latter antelope species live in European zoos. Van den Heuvel: ‘We are extremely happy with the arrival of these unique animals. This gives us the opportunity to learn a lot about the handling and care of yellowbacked divers. This knowledge will eventually also translate to the protection and care of these animals in their natural habitat in Tropical Africa.’
A total of 17 animal species will be housed at Ngyuwe, including the Senegal galago, violet toerako, sitatunga, fork-tailed warbler and more. The animals will live together in spacious enclosures, for instance, the drills will live together with brush pigs and brazzamer cats. There will also be a new nocturnal animal enclosure in the park.
More reveals
ZooParc will announce several more animal species taking up residence in Ngyuwe over the next few days via social media and in the park. ZooParc will not reveal the very last species until 2025.
General manager Roel Huibers: ‘It will be a special expedition area, in which we combine nature conservation with education and adventure. Visitors will discover the versatility of the African jungle here.’ They are expected to be able to explore in Ngyuwe from the summer of 2025.