Amsterdam Zoo — Artis
Steph had a few days off from work this week, so we decided to go to Artis, the Amsterdam zoo. I’ve lived here 20 years and never been. It has a reputation of being small, and of keeping wild animals in inhumanely small and unnatural enclosures, which is part of the reason I’ve avoided it until now.
I think part of the problem was over the years the land around the zoo became attractive for housing developments. Greedy politicians and developers laid claim on so much, it didn’t really leave the zoo with enough for it’s own purposes.
To be a little fair to Artis, I think all zoos probably have this problem a little bit, but don’t visit Artis if you aren’t prepared to see a few distressed animals.
I was also a little surprised at how expensive it was. It was more than €18 (about US$25) for an adult. I haven’t been to a zoo since I was a kid, so I don’t really know how that compares with others, but it was more than I expected.
Now that I’m finished complaining, I have to admit we did have a nice time and there are many nice parts to the zoo. We saw pretty much everything in about 3 hours. The reptile house is certainly worth a visit. They have a nice collection of snakes and lizards.
The butterflies were also nice, but difficult to take pictures of! This was one of the few I caught standing still in a nice pose.
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3 Responses to “Amsterdam Zoo — Artis”
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If they’re short of space it might be better to have less of the larger animals and more of the small ones. Which I find more interesting anyway. I always wanted to see the reptiles not the lions, even when I was a kid.
Hi Patrick. The National Zoo here is free as are the many museums. This has spoiled us! There are wonderful things to see and it’s always being improved. It’s good to see all the different people enjoying the sights, many who would not be there if there was admission charged. Like you, I have at times avoided the zoo & at one time the circus but I have changed my mind on that. I do refuse to enter the house of the gorillas, this is a tragic aspect of the zoo for me.
Other places vary, I know some or all have a free day each week or month. Later, Cynthia
Hi Cynthia! You are lucky. I think a few of the museums have an occasional free day, but not often and that’s it. Otherwise you have to pay, and it’s often kind of expensive.
I’m with you Robert. I think however many of the animals the Amsterdam Zoo has are extinct in their native habitats, so the zoo feels under pressure to keep many of the animals it already has.