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Royal Rotterdam Zoological & Botanical Gardens
Royal Rotterdam Zoological & Botanical Gardens
Diergaarde Blijdorp (lit. Blijdorp Zoo), officially Rotterdam Zoological & Botanacial Gardens, is a zoo located in the northwestern part of Rotterdam. It is one of the oldest zoos in the Netherlands, and has been operated by the Stichting Koninklijke Rotterdamse Diergaarde ("Royal Rotterdam Zoo Foundation"). Divided into several zoogeographic regions, the 26-hectare (64.25-acre) Blijdorp Zoo boasts well over 180 species. It also has a shop, multiple cafes, and an information centre. In 2007, it celebrated its 150th anniversary.
Rotterdam Zoo also houses a botanical garden and manages both the Dutch National Bromelia Collection and the Dutch National Primula Collection. The set up for a thirth Dutch National Collection for the genus Magnolia is on going and endangered species will be planted out in the Asiatic part of the zoo and the tropical greenhouse/butterflyhouse Amazonica fort he endangered South-American species. Specific are the large tree collection divided and planted in so called ‘continents’ with many species form the Chino-Himalayan region and northern America.