Royal Burgers’ Zoo is a 45-hectare (110-acre) zoo in Arnhem, Netherlands, founded in 1913 by Johan Burgers. It’s one of the largest zoos in the country, home to more than 10,000 animals representing over 500 species, and draws roughly 1.4 million visitors a year from across the Netherlands and neighboring Germany.
What sets Burgers’ Zoo apart is its collection of immersive indoor “ecodisplays” — full ecosystems built under one roof rather than rows of cages. Visitors walk through a tropical rainforest, a desert, a mangrove swamp, and past a massive ocean aquarium, all designed to feel like stepping into the actual habitat rather than viewing it from behind glass.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Arnhem, Netherlands
- Opened: 1913
- Size: 45 hectares (110 acres)
- Species: Over 500 species
- Animal count: More than 10,000 animals
- Annual visitors: About 1.4 million
- Famous for: Burgers’ Bush indoor rainforest and Burgers’ Ocean aquarium
Indoor Ecosystems Unlike Any Other Zoo
The zoo’s seven themed sections, called ecodisplays, are its signature feature. Burgers’ Bush is an indoor tropical rainforest where visitors walk among free-roaming animals and dense jungle plantings, while Burgers’ Desert recreates a rocky American desert landscape of canyons and giant cacti. Burgers’ Rimba reproduces a Southeast Asian rainforest, home to tigers and bears living in large mixed enclosures.
Burgers’ Ocean centers on a large seawater aquarium with an Indo-Pacific reef, and Burgers’ Mangrove recreates a tidal mangrove coastline modeled on Belize. Burgers’ Safari gives grazing animals like giraffes and rhinos an East African savanna to roam, and Burgers’ Park rounds out the collection with visitor favorites such as penguins, elephants, and great apes.
Conservation Beyond the Exhibits
Burgers’ Zoo is a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), and takes part in coordinated breeding programs for threatened species.
One of its best-known conservation projects involves the Socorro dove, a species that no longer exists in the wild after being wiped out by introduced predators on its home island in Mexico. Burgers’ Zoo breeds the dove in captivity as part of an international effort aimed at eventual reintroduction.
Explore more: more zoos and aquariums worth visiting.
Burgers’ Zoo FAQs
Where is Burgers’ Zoo located?
Burgers’ Zoo is located in Arnhem, in the eastern Netherlands, close to the German border.
How big is Burgers’ Zoo?
The zoo covers about 45 hectares (110 acres), making it one of the largest zoos in the Netherlands.
What is Burgers’ Zoo best known for?
It’s best known for its seven themed ecodisplays, especially Burgers’ Bush, a walk-through tropical rainforest, and Burgers’ Ocean, a large seawater aquarium with an Indo-Pacific reef.
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Photo: Frank Vincentz / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.