Daniels Wildlife

10/10/2026

An amazing pair of Southern boat-billed herons (Cochlearius cochlearius cochlearius), photographed recently at Weltvogelpark Walsrode :)

09/10/2026

ZooFlits, the largest zoo news website in the Benelux region, has now published an article about the relocation of several species from WVP Walsrode. I gave them permission to use my photos, but I had no involvement in the article itself.

ZooFlits also attempted to contact the park for comment, but received no response.

"Sudden disappearance of dozens of bird species from the world's largest bird park"

https://zooflits.nl/plotselinge-leegloop-van-tientallen-vogelsoorten-in-grootste-vogelpark-ter-wereld/?fbclid=IwY2xjawU1_ChleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mBXNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR6CceMHhmLAXQ43En6yrPF9W_cwYQ3uEKL3vbR6HMGjCt9Srhcaylq3lbFnOQ_aem_zyXe6KsC2Sc2x-vgDj4heQ

Er is sprake van een plotselinge leegloop in het grootste vogelpark ter wereld. Weltvogelpark Walsrode in de Duitse deelstaat Nedersaksen nam vorige maand afscheid van minstens twintig vogelsoorten. Daarnaast werden van verschillende andere soorten één of meerdere exemplaren weggehaald. Waarom zov...

08/10/2026

A beautiful twelve-wired bird-of-paradise (Seleucidis melanoleucus), photographed recently at Weltvogelpark Walsrode :)

07/10/2026

Right after visiting Brook Valley Zoo this time, we decided to also visit Natuurhulpcentrum Opglabbeek in Belgium, which happened to have an "open day" on the same day. This was my first ever visit to an animal facility in Belgium and, to be honest, I'm not really sure where I should start, or even how to explain my thoughts about this place. My main impression was simply that it was quite unusual.

For anyone unfamiliar with Natuurhulpcentrum, this is not a zoo but a Belgian wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre caring for sick, injured, orphaned and otherwise vulnerable animals. They take in both native European wildlife and exotic animals, with many of the animals being there temporarily while a suitable outcome is found. The centre seems to be extremely well known within Belgium, but surprisingly little known in neighbouring countries. There isn't a huge amount of information, photos or reviews about the place online either, which was one of the reasons I was interested in visiting. I knew they also had a few interesting and relatively rare smaller bird species at the moment.

We didn't really have any expectations about the place, but what we definitely didn't expect was the number of visitors. There was heavy traffic from all directions, someone directing traffic, every parking lot was full and even nearby car dealerships were packed with visitors. We initially thought there must be some other event nearby, but it turned out that all of this was simply for the open day. 😂 The first section was so crowded that it was difficult to move around, although luckily it became much better further into the centre.

As for the facilities themselves, this is where I found things a bit uneven. Some of the enclosures and aviaries seemed very well made, particularly those for the eagles, cranes, buzzards and some of the other larger birds. At the same time, there were a few facilities that I personally found much less convincing, such as a macaw and a cockatoo in two small aviaries, or the bear enclosure 😬😅 But this is also the thing, they will be rehomed eventually!

I also understand that a rescue centre has very different requirements from a zoo, and that not every enclosure can be designed in advance for a specific species when animals are constantly arriving and leaving. At the same time, some animals and facilities are not necessarily temporary and animals can stay there for some months up to years before the right new home is found, so I think it is still fair to mention my impressions of the few enclosures that stood out to me.

There's no doubt that Natuurhulpcentrum does important work when it comes to rescuing wildlife and pets, and I have a lot of respect for what they do.
I would definitely like to go back one day, preferably outside of an open day, to have a proper look around and learn more about the place and how they work. I think that would give me a much better understanding of what I saw. But I'm pretty sure I won't be returning during an open day. It was way too exhausting with so many people! 😅😂

Read more about the facility, or donate:
https://www.natuurhulpcentrum.be/

07/10/2026

30/09/2026

A beautiful Adamawa turtle dove (Streptopelia hypopyrrha) photographed at Weltvogelpark Walsrode this week. Such a beauty!

According to Zootierliste this species is currently only kept in 4 public collections worldwide. Two in Europe and two in the USA.

30/09/2026

If you have visited Weltvogelpark Walsrode recently, you may have noticed that some of the aviaries in the “parrot blocks” are now empty or almost empty.

Over the past few weeks, a large number of parrots have left the park and moved to another small park in Germany. This includes several rosella species and subspecies, cockatoos, vasa parrots, bluebonnets, and several more. In total, at least around 20 parrot species are now gone from Walsrode.

This is quite a significant change, and I have been waiting to post about it as I wanted to see if more information would become available. During my latest visit, however, the affected aviaries were still empty or almost empty, with only a few lapwings and thick-knees in some of them.

I don't want to speculate about the reasons behind the transfers. The park presumably has its reasons, and there may be things happening behind the scenes that we simply don't know about. I just wanted to share this as an update for potential visitors, especially since changes like these are not usually announced by the park itself.

If you are planning a visit specifically to see parrots, be aware that several of them are unfortunately no longer at Walsrode.

I’m locking the comments for now, as discussions on my Walsrode posts have lately often turned into the same arguments about the park and its management. I’d rather keep this post focused on the update itself and avoid another round of criticism, especially as I don't want the Walsrode staff to keep seeing the same discussions whenever they check my posts.

29/09/2026

Grey-headed bushshrike (Malaconotus blanchoti), photographed yesterday at Weltvogelpark Walsrode :)

This species is not kept in any other public collections worldwide, according to Zootierliste :)

28/09/2026

A pair of beautiful Varied lorikeets (Psitteuteles versicolor) photographed today at Weltvogelpark Walsrode.

The species has been kept at the park since 2022, but this is only the second or third time I’ve managed to see them there, and as many of you know, I visit quite often. They’re just not often in the outdoor aviary when I visit, I guess! But today I was luckier and got to see not one, but two! 🥰

28/09/2026