history and growth
Rotterdam Zoo initiated an annual evening ‘out at the zoo’ for children from the Sophia Children’s Hospital in 1996. This first edition of the “dreamnight at the zoo” was especially for children with cancer. Onehundredseventyfive children were invited and they brought their mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters. Also in the years that followed, 1997, 1998 and 1999 the Rotterdam Zoo continued to organize these evenings…. with more children each year and in co-operation with more (childrens)hospitals and institutions….
The Amsterdam Zoo joins this effort in 2000 and in 2001 Ouwehands Dierenpark in Rhenen, Safaripark Beekse Bergen in Hilvarenbeek, de Apenheul in Apeldoorn and the Dierentuin van Amersfoort also organised an evening for chronically ill and disabled children.
The event has not only grown in the number of zoos organizing the event, but also within the individual zoos. Rotterdam started with one hospital in 1996, in 2001 they welcomed children from 13 hospitals and institutions.
In 2002 also the Noorden Dierenpark in Emmen, Dolfinarium Harderwijk, Burgers Zoo in Arnhem and Avifauna in Alphen aan den Rijn joined the initiative. The Antwerp Zoo (Belgium) and the Aalborg Zoo (Denmark) were the first partners outside the Netherlands.
In 2003 the project expanded even more: two French Zoos decided to join us: Parc Zoologique de Lille and Zoo de Pont-Scorff and two Canadian Zoos: Magnetic Hill Zoo and the Vancouver Aquarium…..
In 2004 we welcomed a lot of new partners: Zodiac Zoos in The Netherlands decided to join the project with two zoos: Zoo Parc Overloon and Dierenpark Wissel. In the United Kingdom we welcomed three new partners: Colchester Zoo, Chester Zoo and Marwell Zoological Park. In Greece Attica Zoological Park decided to join the project, just as Decin Zoo in the Czech Republic. In the United States of America Roger Williams Park Zoo, Blank Park Zoo and Chattanooga Zoo decided to join us and in Canada the Jungle Cat World Wildlife Park. Fundacion Zoologica de Cali was our first partner zoo in Colombia, followed by the Parque Recreativo y Zoologico Piscilago – Colsubsidio. Wellinton Zoo is our first partner in New Zealand. In France we welcomed eight new partners: Parc Zoologique de Fréjus, Zoo de La Flèche, Zoo de Jurques, Zoo d’ Amiens, Parc Animalier de Sainte Croix, Zoo de Doué la Fontaine, Terrarium de Kerdanet and Aliotis, l’Aquarium de Sologne. Budapest Zoo and Jásberény Zoo are our first partners in Hungary and Kolmården Zoo in Sweden. The Aachener Tierpark is our first partner in Germany Attractionpark Neeltje Jans in The Netherlands and Freme Marcel Dhenin in France
Also in 2005 the number of Dreamnight at the Zoo partners increases again: Oklahoma City Zoo, Sacramento Zoo, Glen Oak Zoo, Houston Zoo, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Abilene Zoo, Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, Dickerson Park Zoo, Franklin Park Zoo, Sequoia Park Zoo, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and Santa Ana Zoo in the U.S.A. decide to join our project, just like Poznan Zoo, Plock Zoo, Warsaw Zoo, Zoo Opole, Krakow Zoo, Zoological Garden of Polish Fauna, Gdansk Oliwa Zoo and Zoobotanical Garden of Torun in Poland. In the Netherlands Aqua Zoo Friesland, Sealife Scheveningen and Dierenrijk Europa become our partners. Aguaviva Acuario y Museo del Mar is a new partner in Colombia, in England Newquay Zoo, Belfast Zoological Gardens and South Lakes Wild Animal Park decide to join us and now we also have partners in South-Africa: Johannesburg Zoo, in Australia: Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, in Ireland: Dublin Zoo, in the Czech Republic: Brno Zoo, in Japan: Yokohama Zoological Gardens, in Mexico: Africam Safari, in Taiwan: Taipei Zoo, in Scotland: Galloway Wildlife Conservation Park and Edinburgh Zoo, in Spain: Fuengirola Zoo, in Hungary: Kittenberger Zoo and in Germany: Vivarium Darmstadt.
New Partners in 2006: in the Netherlands: Gaia Park Kerkrade and Circus Herman Renz in the United States of America: Akron Zoo (Ohio), Salisbury Zoo (Maryland), Topeka Zoological Park (Kansas), Arizona Sonora Desert Museum (Arizona) Memphis Zoo (Tennessee), Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure (Kansas) and Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium (Pennsylvania), in Australia: Pet Porpoise Pool, Cleland Wildlife Park and Maru Koala and Fauna Park, in Spain: Los Palmitos Park (Gran Canaria), Mundomar, Parque de la Naturaleza de Cabárceno y Museo Marítimo del Cantábrico, Zoo Aquarium de Madrid, Jerez Zoo and Marineland Mallorca, in Germany: All Wetterzoo Münster, in Switzerland: Zoo Zürich, in Portugal: Park & Zoo S.Inácio in Luxemburg: Parc Merveilleux, in the Czech Republic: Zoo Ústí nad Labem, Zoo Praha and Zoo Ostrava, in Denmark: Ebeltoft Zoo & Safari, in France: Parc Zoologique de Cleres, in Israel: Zoological Center Tel Aviv – Ramat Gan, Remabi Park in Australia and Silent Dreams in India
New Partners in 2007: in the United States of America: BREC’s Baton Rouge Zoo, the Greenville Zoo, Utah’s Hogle Zoo, Fresno Chaffee Zoo, Stone Zoo (Zoo New England) and Buttonwood Park Zoo, in Germany: Naturzoo Rheine, Zoo Frankfurt, Garten der Schmetterlinge Schloss Sayn, Zoo Neuwied, Tierpark Chemnitz and Zoo Landau in der Pfalz, in Spain: Barcelona Zoo and Rio Safari Elche, in Switzerland: Abenteuerland Walter Zoo and in the Netherlands: Vlindertuin Berkenhof and Kasteepark Born, in Bangladesh: Wildlife Trust of Bangladesh, in Belgium: the Olmense Zoo, in France: Zoo de la Boissière du Doré, Safari de Peaugres and Parc Zoologique Fort Mardyck, in Japan: Kanazawa Zoological Gardens of Yokohama and Noichi Zoological Park, in Poland: Zoo Wroclaw, in the Czech Republic: Zoological Garden Hodonin and Zoopark Chomutov, in Colombia: Jaime Duque Zoo and in Hungary: Miskolc Zoo in the United States of America: The Grace Museum.
New Partners in 2008: in Germany: Zoonimal Wild Encounters, Tierpark Gera, Thüringer Zoopark Erfurt and Zoo Heidelberg, in Spain: La Reserva del Castillo de Las Guardas and Aqualeon, in the United States of America: Zoological Park Bear Country U.S.A., Knoxville Zoo, Chehaw Wild Animal Park, Henson Robinson Zoo, Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, Rosamond Gifford Zoo, The Living Desert, Denver Zoo and Milwaukee County Zoo, in Belgium: Aquatopia, in Austria: Tierwelt Herberstein, in France: Parc Zoologique de Thoiry, ZooParc de Beauval and Le PAL, in Denmark: Naestved Zoo, in Great Britain: Howletts Wild Animal Park, Blackpool Zoo and The Hawk Conservancy Trust, in Canada: Edmonton Valley Zoo, in Japan: Akiyosidai Safariland Zoo and Nogeyama Zoological Gardens of Yokohama, in Scotland: Blair Drummond Safari & Adventure Park and Camperdown Wildlife Centre, in Croatia: Zoo Zagreb, in Poland: Zoo Zamość (im Stefana Milera), in the Philippines: Botolan Wildlife Farm, in Switzerland: Kamelhof Olmerswil, in Costa Rica: The Butterfly Farm, in Ecuador: Zoologico Amaru and in Mexico: Chapultepec Zoo in Germany: Schulbiologiezentrum Hannover and Kulturinsel Einsiedel.
New Partners in 2009: in Italy: Giardino Zoologico di Pistoia, in Germany: Aquazoo Düsseldorf, Wilhelma Zoo and Zoo Dresden, inSwitzerland: Johns Kleine Farm, in France: Zoo de la Barben and Nausicaa, in Poland: Silesian Zoological Garden Chorzow, in Portugal: Zoo de Lourosa, in China: Shanghai Zoo, in Japan: Kumamoto Zoological Gardens and Ikeda Zoo, in Spain: l’Aquarium de Barcelona and in Australia: Symbio Wildlife Park, Taronga Zoo and Taronga Western Plains Zoo and in the United States of America: Jackson Zoological Park and Minnesota Zoo in The Netherlands: Walibi World, Ecodrome, restaurant De Mafkethel and Themerestaurant De Heksenkethel and in Belgium: Familypark Harry Malter
New Partners in 2010: in The Netherlands: Stichting AGO Zwembad and Theater De Meerpaal and in the United States of America: The Conservators’ Center in Switzerland: Papiliorama and Zoo Basel, in Spain: L’Oceanografic and Parque Zoologico Natura Parc, in Germany: Tierpark Hebelei, in New-Zealand: EcoWorld Aquarium, in Japan: Chausuyama Zoo, Hiroshima City Asa Zoological Park and Chiba Zoological Park, in the United States of America: Turtle Back Zoo, in Hungary: Szeged Zoo and in South Africa: Lory Park Zoo and Owl Sanctuary.
New Partners in 2011: in Turkey: Darica Faruk Yalcin Animal Kingdom and Botanical Garden, in the Netherlands: Meerzoo, Vlinders aan de Vliet and Stichting Società Contessa Rotterdam (SCR), in the United States of America: Zoo Atlanta, Wildlife Safari and Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, in England: Drusillas Park and Twycross Zoo, in Mexico: Zoofari, in Japan: Inokashira Park Zoo and Itozu-no-Mori Zoological Park and in Germany: Kölner Zoo
New Partners in 2012: in England: Shepreth Wildlife Park and Dartmoor Zoological Park, in the Netherlands: Maritiem Museum Rotterdam, Familiepretpark De Waarbeek and Falconcrest Valkerij Centrum en Roofvogelpark, in Germany: Zoo Osnabrück, in the United States of America: Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo and North Carolina Zoo, in New Zealand: Auckland Zoo, in Spain: FAUNIA, Selwo Aventura and Selwo Marina Delfinarium, in Switzerland: Natur- und Tierpark Goldau, in Japan: Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo Sea Life Park, Ueno Zoological Gardens, Ishikawa Zoo and Suzaka Zoo and in France: Fondation Marineland
New Partners in 2013: in the United States of America: Henry Vilas Park Zoo, Squam Lakes Natural Science Center and Tulsa Zoo and in Scotland: Highland Wildlife Park
New Partners in 2014: in France: Zoo Lyon, Zoo Montpellier and Biotropica, in England: Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens, in Japan: Utsunomiya Zoo, Toyama Municipal Familypark and Adachi Park of Living Things, in Armenia: Yerevan Zoo and in Czech Republic: Zoo Olomouc and Jihlava Zoological Garden
New Partners in 2015: New Dreamnight (at the Zoo) partners: in Switzerland: Tierpark Bern, in Japan: Nasu Animal Kingdom, in Israel: Haifa Educational Zoo, in France: Parc Animalier d’Auvergne, in Hongary: Debrecen Zoo, in the United States of America: Lincoln Park Zoo and in Germany: Tiergehege im Kaisergarten
New partners in 2016: New Dreamnight (atthezoo) Partner:in Germany: Zoo Krefeld and Neunkircher Zoologischer Garten, in France: Parc Zoologique CERZA and Spaycific Zoo, in Japan: Kobe Animal Kingdom, Sendai Yagiyama Zoological Park and Tobe Zoological Park, in Spain: Bioparc Valencia and in Romania: Zoo Tirgu-Mures
New partners in 2017: in Japan: Adventure World and in the United States of America: Nashville Zoo
New partners in 2018: in the Netherlands: De Veenweide and in the United States of America: Seattle Aquarium and Brandywine Zoo and in England: Butterfly Farm
New partners in 2019: in Japan: Ube City Tokiwa Zoo and in Spain: Acuario de Gijon
New partners in 2022: in the Nederlands: Eko Tours and in the United States of America: Reis Park Zoo and Cape May County Zoo and in the United Kingdom: Dudley Zoo and Castle and in France: Zoo de Bordeaux and in Monaco: Oceano Monaco
New partners in 2023: in the United States of America: Seneca Park Zoo and San Antonio Zoo, in Germany: Ascherleben Zoo and in Japan: Saitama Children’s Zoo
New partners in 2024: in Hungary: Sanctuary of Bear
Do YOU want to become a partner zoo in this wonderful project ?
or… need some more information first…?
Please contact the Dreamnight at the Zoo Foundation
Anna Griesepad 15
3191 XD Rotterdam, the Netherlands
or sent us an email: info@dreamnightatthezoo.nl