New enclosures for fourteen star tortoises next to the water monitor in the Rimba
Burgers’ Zoo is supporting its colleagues at Zoo Zagreb by accommodating fourteen start tortoises confiscated by Croatian customs and providing them with a new home in Arnhem. The reptiles arrived in Arnhem in 2023 and were housed and cared for behind the scenes until a new public-facing enclosure could be created for them. In June 2021, Croatian customs seized a total of 126 star tortoises, which have since been distributed to several European zoos.
A total of 14 star tortoises—6 males and 8 females—travelled from Zagreb to Arnhem in 2023. The reptiles will be used in a breeding programme in Arnhem. The larger European zoos collaborate internationally within the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA). This is one of the practical examples of European zoos working together to provide the best possible care and housing for a confiscated species.
Part of the water monitor enclosure in the Rimba tunnel has undergone major renovation in recent weeks to make it suitable for its new residents. In their temporary, behind-the-scenes accommodation, zookeepers carefully place the animals in tempex boxes before releasing them one by one into their new enclosure. Star tortoises are traded illegally on a large scale as pets for hobbyists. The illegal trade in protected animals and plants is a major problem. Sadly, it has developed into a multi-billion-dollar industry for organised crime worldwide.
Burgers' Zoo acts as an official government-appointed holding facility for certain animal species when illegal animal transports are intercepted by customs authorities. For many years the Arnhem zoo has provided care for government-confiscated corals, for example, which often find a good home at fellow public aquaria through Burgers' Zoo's extensive European network, or are given a place in the Ocean. Burgers' Zoo performs the same holding function for various tropical bird species seized by customs authorities.
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