And of course, we also checked out the rest of the animals living at Ouwehands Dierenpark in addition to the giant pandas! Since our visit in 2019 there haven’t been too many major changes – the main one is the new koala house and themed area. Unfortunately we didn’t end up seeing any koalas on the day of our visit, so I didn’t take any/many pictures, so for another time! There was also some work ongoing at the sun bear house. Most of the park I remember seeing before, but there were a few parts that I just couldn’t recall – like the tiger area, part of the elephant outdoor space, and also the bonobo’s – either I just didn’t pay attention on the first visit, or they are in fact also new parts.

It’s nice starting the journey around the zoo by seeing the giraffes and zebras because they are not too common as the first animals – these guys were out grazing when we arrived and when we were leaving the zebras were already inside and the giraffes were just starting to head inside. The red pandas are also usually also a highlight and we got very lucky, we walked up to their yard and one of them was very active, running around and climbing, so agile and quick! The elephants were very much enjoying the nice weather and were at the far end of their yard which is a part I don’t remember from before, and they were also sharing with red river hogs – for me I like seeing this combination, I don’t think it’s one I’ve seen before and I think it works quite nicely. We spent quite a bit of time watching the prairie dogs – what adorable little guys these are^ So inquisitive and cautious, while being super cute sneaky glances out of the entrances to their burrows. We don’t remember seeing them before, so they could be a new addition or we are just forgetting XD. And one of the highlights was seeing the clouded leopard kittens who were around 11 weeks old when we were there – they were inside with mum the whole time we watched them while dad was outside, I’m not sure if they were being kept separate or if it was the animals choice. There are 3 kittens and they were both interacting with mum and with each other. They were in their inside den which was quite tricky to get photos in because it was quite dark and there was also a glass window, but what cuties – they are tiny compared to mum but they were already showing strength in their play fighting and their tails were already looking pretty long!