Ouwehands Zoo — Attraction in Rhenen

Went with my boyfriend and had a pretty decent time there. We got the day pass + night light ticket, and here is our experience:

Staff: 5/5 Everybody was very friendly & helpful and they were everywhere so if you have a question or need help they’re always there

Vibes: 4/5 They put a lot of effort in decorating the zoo so it has a nice ambiance & the enclosures were pretty decent. Toilets were clean despite how crowded it was! The light attractions were also really pretty & you can see nocturnal animals starting their day after 5 pm

Animals: 2/5 Nothing I’ve never seen before except for the pandas & polar bear. The pandas were adorable, but they seem super bored & there’s a lack of interaction between the zookeepers and these pandas. They were just kind of left there like a goldfish in a bowl…

Same with the elephants. We saw them literally plucking grass in their enclosure because of how bored they were. They should learn a thing or two from more interactive zoos like Bali Zoo where they allow feeding sessions (they sold carrots that we could feed to the elephants & we had breakfast with orangutans) so the more intelligent animals don’t go crazy bored in their enclosures. They need intellectual stimulation too!!

The worst part that kind of ruined the day for me was the single polar bear.

I don’t know the story behind why that ice-bear is in the middle of Netherlands, but the bear was clearly depressed (& probably way too hot). The polar bear enclosure looked unkept and it had a pool completely green & filled with algae, so it can’t even swim to cool off. Even if the polar bear was under rehabilitation for something, it deserves a cleaner enclosure (and a proper way to cool off, especially in the summer!) Tbh I think it’s better off to send the polar bear to a zoo somewhere with a more comfortable climate for them, like maybe Finland or Norway. Polar bears shouldn’t live out in the open in such a hot European climate when they’re used to -20 degrees Celsius or less (imagine being forced to live somewhere where it’s 20 degrees Celsius hotter than what you’re used to). I find it ironic that they claim to be an ‘Arctic Ambassador’ when their polar bear is so sadly curled up in the corner like that…

Food: 3/5 Standard zoo food. They sell snackbar foods like burgers & frikandel. A bit overpriced for what they are so I suggest to bring your own food and drinks to the park (yes, they allow this)

Others: They have a designated playground area for children and they tried to put a frog enclosure next to the playground. The frogs were nowhere to be seen

Overall: 3/5 Pretty good zoo for children but the condition of their animals is...

Big disappointment We have heard about the great Chinese Light Festival in the Zoo so we decided to go there. On the Website of the Zoo we got the following information: “China Light Festival 08-01-2020 The magical China Light Festival is returning in full force this winter! From 21 December 2019 to 29 February 2020, you can enjoy the fully renewed light show China Light Festival at Ouwehands Zoo. ” So on 12.01.2020 (Sunday) we drove 150 Km to the Zoo. We were 14:40 there. At the entrance, we were told the Festival is only on Friday and Saturday! How could such an important information not be communicated on the website??? (After we went home that night I searched the Website again, nothing about Friday and Saturday, not in “High Lights”, “opening hours” or “latest information”. NOTHING!). However, we decided to go into the Zoo because I promised my three-year-old son to see the pandas. Then they told us the Zoo is only opened till 16 o´clock! But the information “opening hours” for the regular Zoo visit on the Website was apparently 10:00-17:00. I couldn´t believe that! At the end of the day, we spent 74.50 Euros for 90 Minutes in the Zoo, 25.50 per adult and 23.50 for my three-year old son. Children elder than 2 pay almost the full price. I have never seen such price at another zoo. In Gelsenkirchen, Münster and Wuppertal, where the Zoo is much bigger and nicer, we paid less for the tickets and my three-year-old son got a real discount. After this extremely disappointing experience I will never go to...

It was a lovely day.

Some of the enclosures were just mind boggling - the orangutangs were brilliant - at one point I was walking underneath a pair of them who were making their way back to their enclosure. Very clever!

The bears and wolves have an well constructed set of hanging bridges above them - again, an excellent experience even for a middle aged woman like me who could manage to navigate across them easily.

The penguins were in the water right in front of us - so easy to see them vs some other zoos that we have been to.

We specifically went to see the pandas, and were not disappointed at all. There was no rush, and we got to spend time with this lovely pair.

Being a Friday, there weren't huge crowds, and it was easy to move around (daughter in a wheelchair and no issues getting that in and out).

A couple of the enclosures (specifically the one pair of polar bears) were a bit dated, but they were right next door to a revamped enclosure so my assumption is that the enclosures are being redone and that specific pair of polar bears are in the process of being moved to a better enclosure like the second one.

We were there for 10 am, moving quite slowly, and we probably left around 3 pm, happy that we had taken our time and seen everything (and the pandas twice :) )

I did think it was a little on the top side for price - but if the money is being invested into the animals, which it appears to be, then I'm not complaining.

All in all, a very good day and a lovely way for us to end our...