Impression of the Mangrove

The largest indoor mangrove in the world

With a surface area of 3,000 square meters, visitors venture into the largest indoor mangrove in the world. From the beach bordering a Belizean town square, the mysterious world that is the mangrove calls. Further inland, the mangrove forest slowly transforms into a tropical dry forest, where hundreds of butterflies in all shapes, sizes, and colours are dancing in the air.

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Manatees swimming past a panoramic window

The journey through the mangrove starts at a bridge. Only few plant species can survive this extremely salty climate, where the living circumstances change with the tide. Suddenly visitors are standing face-to-face with a Caribbean manatee, thanks to a giant, 12 m long by 1.8 m tall panoramic window. With a bit of luck, the manatees will swim right past the window.

Mud plane and fiddler crabs

When the tide rolls out, the mud plane comes to life! Fiddler crabs rush out from safety to collect food or to impress females and rivals with their imposing claws.

Inspired by our nature reserve in Belize

The mangrove in Burgers’ Zoo is based on the mangrove forests located in Belize in Central America. Mangroves are often called the nurseries of the sea. Many fish species are born there, find shelter between the roots as juveniles, and move into the open ocean as adults.

More about the mangrove

Help us protect the mangrove forests in Belize

Unfortunately, large areas of mangroves are disappearing. This while mangroves are essential to nature. We are committed to protecting this vulnerable nature reserve. That is why we have been protecting a 235 square kilometres nature reserve in Belize for nearly 30 years.

Help us protect the mangrove in Belize

Follow the construction of the Mangrove

Impression of the Mangrove Impression of the Mangrove

Giant window as an eyecatcher

A massive, 12-metres-long by 1.8-metres-tall window forms an eyecatching feature in the Mangrove. The window is made of acrylic instead of glass, just like the windows in the Ocean. The giant window allows visitors to view the manatees peacefully underwater. With seemingly unwieldy bodies, these charismatic mammals are surprisingly agile underwater, and the large panorama window provides a wonderful,...

Written by: Frank Simon Manager Techniek

7/2/2017

Access to another world

In the future, visitors will enter the Mangrove through a darkened tunnel, similar to the current access tunnel to the Bush. In the tunnel, visitors will find a recreation of the ranger station occupied by our park rangers in Belize. We will take them on a journey to another world, both literally and figuratively: when they exit the tunnel, they should feel as though they are actually in Belize....

Written by: Stef van Campen Ontwerper

6/14/2017

Ebb and flood

One distinguishing feature of mangroves near the mouth of a river, where it meets the ocean, is that, under the influence of the tides, the ecosystem must deal with both fresh water and seawater during a single day. That is why mangroves are such an extreme environment for nearly all plant species, and why there are relatively few mangrove plant species worldwide. Mangrove plants must be able to...

Written by: Max Janse Curator Ocean

5/27/2017

Precise cooperation

The air cushions are made by Foiltec, which previously also installed these extraordinary air cushions on the roofs of both the Bush and the Desert. Foiltec is currently working in the Moeskops factories to install the frames for the air cushions directly onto the arch structures. Practically speaking, it is a lot easier to do install them directly in the factory, instead of doing so from 15 metres...

Written by: Frank Simon Manager Techniek

5/17/2017

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The largest indoor mangrove in the world