Baby Boom Rotterdam Zoo

In the Rotterdam Zoo, Diergaarde Blijdorp, is a real baby boom going on. That said director Marc Damen Wednesday. While heavily pregnant elephant Trong Nhi can give birth any time,  the zoo is celebrating already the births of bull head sharks, fishing cats and Prince Alfred Deer.

In recent months Blijdorp experienced already the birth of many other species, like a rhinoceros, a zebra and three sea lions.

It is the 16th time that an elephant will be born in the zoo in Rotterdam. The birth is expected between now and late September. The exact date is difficult to determine because of the long gestation period of almost two years, explained Damen. It is the first baby for mother Trong Nhi.

In the elephant house several webcams are already in place so even the audience can follow the birth.

Breeding programs

Diergaarde Blijdorp always has a lot of young animals. The this year 155-year-old zoo, participates in about 70 breeding programs and studbooks, and coordinates a couple of them, including the international breeding program for Red Pandas and the European breeding programs for the Asian Elephant and the Komodo Dragon.