Skelet olifant Ramon
On June 25, 2005, the mounted skeleton of the Asian elephant Ramon was unveiled by Ton Dorresteyn, then director of Diergaarde Blijdorp.
'Ramon' was born on 7 December 1970 in the Hannover Zoo. After six months he moved to Diergaarde Blijdorp, where he spent the rest of his life. Ramon was a household name in the zoo. He was the only bull, impatient and unpredictable, and a first-class 'breeding bull'. He fathered five offspring: Bernhardine (1984), Yasmin (1990), Indira (1995), Timber (1998) and Max (1998). On 24 April 1998 he succumbed to a cerebral haemorrhage during a mating with Douanita. Immediately after his death, the Natural History Museum Rotterdam was given access to the body. In the hours immediately following his death, the zoo and the Natural History Museum worked together to dissect the body and to debone the skeleton. The bones and the skull were - after an intensive and especially malodorous preparation process - preserved for the collection. The loose skeleton was placed in the museum depot and was forgotten.
When you are not in A State of Trance
A State of Trance offers a full programme on Friday night and Saturday night. But when Armin van Buuren and all his musical friends are not spinning in Ahoy, there is also plenty to do in Rotterdam.
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