Mother Goose
As well as familiar human museum visitors, day-trippers and regulars, we also have a non-human guest on the terrace at Het Nieuwe Café: a Canada goose (Branta canadensis) that has recently nested in one of the planters.
3 May 2023
This species often crosses with the barnacle goose or lesser Canada goose, and could therefore be a new hybrid species similar to Branta canadensis. Canada geese are native to the northern USA, Canada, Sweden, and parts of the UK, and are considered exotic in Europe, yet can be seen year-round as breeding birds. They usually hatch four to eight eggs in about 30 days, so while Mother Goose and her expectant family is staying with us, we would like to ask you to leave her alone. To ensure everyone's comfort, the area around the nest has been cordoned off with red and white ribbon. Thank you for your understanding!
Nieuwe Instituut Zoöp and Water Cities Rotterdam
Since April 2022, the Nieuwe Instituut has been a Zoöp: a 'cooperative with all life' with an appointed Speaker for the Living acting as a kind of organisational observer to represent the voices and interests of non-human life in and around the institute. Among other things, we are committed to making a positive contribution to the larger ecosystem within which we work, and aim to increase the life-supporting capacity of our building, ponds and garden. This means that everywhere may provide a healthy and balanced habitat for the plants and animals that use them – not just humans.
The floating pavilions for Water Cities Rotterdam. By Kunlé Adeyemi, constructed in the west pond, are an example of how we are experimenting with this idea. They provide a safe haven for water plants to take root, for dragonflies to catch flies, for fish to hide from greedy herons, and where – if they find them during the breeding season – for birds to build their nests. If we had these floating structures two weeks earlier, perhaps our Mother Goose might have ended up there instead!
