Safaripark Beekse Bergen
Encyclopedia
Safaripark Beekse Bergen is located between the cities of Tilburg
and Hilvarenbeek
in the south of the Netherlands
, province of North-Brabant. It is the largest Wildlife Zoo of the Benelux
region and provides a home to approximately 1.250 animals from over 150 species. These species vary from small mammals to large birds. The visitors can for instance watch zebras and giraffes on the spacious savannahs. Safaripark Beekse Bergen offers te possibility to explore the park on numerous safaris: walksafari, carsafari, bussafari and boatsafari.
The park is owned by the company Libéma Exploitatie BV, which is one of the largest leisure-related companies in the Netherlands
.
What makes the park so special is that visitors can explore the park with their own car, without a fence in between the visitor and the animals. While driving through the park people can for instance encounter leopards and zebras or get their car 'washed' by a giraffe
. In this way the visitor can imagine that they are really taking a safari in Africa. Visitors can also choose to follow the same route per bus. In this way they will get to know more information about the animals, since they will be joined by a Ranger.
Besides these two ways of exploring the park, the visitor can also choose to take a boat, that leaves at two piers in the park. The visitors can also watch the animals by foot on the approximately 5 kilometres of roads throughout the park.
All of the above mentioned safari possibilities can be combined. All the safaris start at the front of the park and come together at a parking side at the backside of the park, close to the Kongorestaurant.
Another feature of the park for which it is very well known is its bird show. In this show full of humour and interesting facts all sorts of birds are shown to the audience.
All animals receive a strict diet
, as a result of which feeding the animals is prohibited.
it became a major success. Two years later two extra terrains were opened, in which leopards and baboons could be seen. In the next four years seven more types of animals were added to the park, for instance zebras, giraffes and an elephant
. Because the park did now not only concern lions anymore, the name was changed in 1974 into Safaripark Beekse Bergen.
In 1980 the total size of the park had grown until 120 hectare and six more types of animals had been added. Until that point there had only been a car-safari, but in 1982 a walk-safari was opened. This was only at a small part of the park, but it gave the visitors a chance to observe different sorts of animals which were too small to walk through the open car-safari. Furthermore a bird show was opened in 1984, which was another unique experience for the Netherlands
.
In the years that followed the park became less popular and it looked like it that the Safaripark would go bankrupt. However in 1987 the organization Libéma bought the park and with this new owner the park started evolving again. The walk-safari was enhanced and a bus-safari and boat-safari were added. Today Libéma is still the owner and the Safaripark Beekse Bergen has become the fourth zoo of the Netherlands
.
Since a few years Libéma is also the owner of Speelland Beekse Bergen, which is an amusement park for families with children. This park is located next to the Safaripark Beekse Bergen and therefore these two parks are working together more and more. For instance the park manager of the Safaripark is also the park manager of Speelland and also the shops are working as one. The idea is to let the two parks become in line with each other more, so that a day to the Beekse Bergen really becomes a day to Africa
.
To support these objectives, Safaripark Beekse Bergen participates in a number of organisations:
Furthermore Safaripark Beekse Bergen participate in the following conservation programmes:
= (European Endangered Species Programmes) and European Studbooks (ESB
).
' for many people is a reference to Africa. The park's name is an indicator that it focuses on conserving and observing African animals. Although the park's history and the weather in the Netherlands make a 'realistic African experience' nearly impossible. During the 90s, the park attempted to provide visitors 'a journey around the world in one day', and has sections devoted to the fauna of the American, Asian, European and Australian continents. The European section has been removed, with scottish highlanders and European red deer being the only remnants of those times. The Australian section now contains only some giant kangaroos and emus. The American section still contains the selection of small animals it originally contained, including capybaras, squirrel monkeys and guanacos
. In the future, all these animals will be moved to other zoos or are put into programmes to combat extinction. Ultimately, only African and a few Asian animals will remain and the park will be able to focus on its 'One day in Africa!' theme.
Tilburg
Tilburg is a landlocked municipality and a city in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of Noord-Brabant.Tilburg municipality also includes the villages of Berkel-Enschot and Udenhout....
and Hilvarenbeek
Hilvarenbeek
Hilvarenbeek is a municipality and a town in the south of the Netherlands, along the border with Belgium.- Population centres :The municipality of Hilvarenbeek also includes the following villages with their own churches: Baarschot, Biest-Houtakker, Diessen, Esbeek and Haghorst.In addition, the...
in the south of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, province of North-Brabant. It is the largest Wildlife Zoo of the Benelux
Benelux
The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are located in northwestern Europe between France and Germany...
region and provides a home to approximately 1.250 animals from over 150 species. These species vary from small mammals to large birds. The visitors can for instance watch zebras and giraffes on the spacious savannahs. Safaripark Beekse Bergen offers te possibility to explore the park on numerous safaris: walksafari, carsafari, bussafari and boatsafari.
The park is owned by the company Libéma Exploitatie BV, which is one of the largest leisure-related companies in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
What makes the park so special is that visitors can explore the park with their own car, without a fence in between the visitor and the animals. While driving through the park people can for instance encounter leopards and zebras or get their car 'washed' by a giraffe
Giraffe
The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
. In this way the visitor can imagine that they are really taking a safari in Africa. Visitors can also choose to follow the same route per bus. In this way they will get to know more information about the animals, since they will be joined by a Ranger.
Besides these two ways of exploring the park, the visitor can also choose to take a boat, that leaves at two piers in the park. The visitors can also watch the animals by foot on the approximately 5 kilometres of roads throughout the park.
All of the above mentioned safari possibilities can be combined. All the safaris start at the front of the park and come together at a parking side at the backside of the park, close to the Kongorestaurant.
Another feature of the park for which it is very well known is its bird show. In this show full of humour and interesting facts all sorts of birds are shown to the audience.
All animals receive a strict diet
Diet (nutrition)
In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. Dietary habits are the habitual decisions an individual or culture makes when choosing what foods to eat. With the word diet, it is often implied the use of specific intake of nutrition for health or weight-management...
, as a result of which feeding the animals is prohibited.
History
In the year 1968 the “Lion Park Beekse Bergen” was opened, in which visitors could observe lions from their car. Because this idea was new for the NetherlandsNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
it became a major success. Two years later two extra terrains were opened, in which leopards and baboons could be seen. In the next four years seven more types of animals were added to the park, for instance zebras, giraffes and an elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
. Because the park did now not only concern lions anymore, the name was changed in 1974 into Safaripark Beekse Bergen.
In 1980 the total size of the park had grown until 120 hectare and six more types of animals had been added. Until that point there had only been a car-safari, but in 1982 a walk-safari was opened. This was only at a small part of the park, but it gave the visitors a chance to observe different sorts of animals which were too small to walk through the open car-safari. Furthermore a bird show was opened in 1984, which was another unique experience for the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
In the years that followed the park became less popular and it looked like it that the Safaripark would go bankrupt. However in 1987 the organization Libéma bought the park and with this new owner the park started evolving again. The walk-safari was enhanced and a bus-safari and boat-safari were added. Today Libéma is still the owner and the Safaripark Beekse Bergen has become the fourth zoo of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
Since a few years Libéma is also the owner of Speelland Beekse Bergen, which is an amusement park for families with children. This park is located next to the Safaripark Beekse Bergen and therefore these two parks are working together more and more. For instance the park manager of the Safaripark is also the park manager of Speelland and also the shops are working as one. The idea is to let the two parks become in line with each other more, so that a day to the Beekse Bergen really becomes a day to Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.
Objectives
Safaripark Beekse Bergen has a few idealistic objectives. The park wants to contribute to the conservation of nature in de broadest way of the word. They do this by means of:- conservation of threatened species
- education
- scientific research
- active participation in world wide wereldwijde actieve participatie in world wide conservation programmes.
To support these objectives, Safaripark Beekse Bergen participates in a number of organisations:
- NVD = Dutch Association of Zoos
- SDH = Foundation Zoos Help, the nature conversation programme of the NVD
- EAZA = European Association of Zoos and Aquaria
Furthermore Safaripark Beekse Bergen participate in the following conservation programmes:
- African Wild Dogs in Zimbabwe
- Siberian Tigers and Amur Leopards in Siberia
- Sloth Bears in India
Breeding programmes
As a member of EAZA Safaripark Beekse Bergen cooperates with European management programmes for threatened species, such as EEP (EEPEEP
EEP may refer to:* Early Entrance Program , an accelerated schooling program in California* Transition School and Early Entrance Program, an accelerated college entrance program at the University of Washington...
= (European Endangered Species Programmes) and European Studbooks (ESB
ESB
- Organizations :*ESB Reutlingen, a business school of the Reutlingen University in Germany*ESB Customer Supply, the incumbent retail supplier of electricity in Ireland*ESB Group, a multinational energy group based in Ireland...
).
- The threatened species (EEPEEPEEP may refer to:* Early Entrance Program , an accelerated schooling program in California* Transition School and Early Entrance Program, an accelerated college entrance program at the University of Washington...
) in the collection of the Safaripark are: Red Ruffed Lemurs, Ring-tailed Lemurs, African Wild Dogs, Leopards, African Elephants, White Rhinocheros, Grévy Zebras, Rothschild Giraffes, African Pinguïns, White-Cheeked Gibbons, Red Pandas, Siberian Tigers, Przewalski Horses, Mesopotamic Deers, Vietnamese Sikadeers and Chilean Flamingos.
- Besides EEP Safaripark Beekse Bergen also participates in European Studbooks (ESBESB- Organizations :*ESB Reutlingen, a business school of the Reutlingen University in Germany*ESB Customer Supply, the incumbent retail supplier of electricity in Ireland*ESB Group, a multinational energy group based in Ireland...
). These are animals that are being observed intensively and have a chance to become a threatened species in the future. Safari Beekse Bergen participates in this programme for: Spotted Hyenas, Warthogs, Sitatungas, Markhors, Sable Antelopes, Blesbucks, White-Handed Gibbons, Malesian Bears and Squirrel Monkeys.
Animals
The word 'safariSafari
A safari is an overland journey, usually a trip by tourists to Africa. Traditionally, the term is used for a big-game hunt, but today the term often refers to a trip taken not for the purposes of hunting, but to observe and photograph animals and other wildlife.-Etymology:Entering the English...
' for many people is a reference to Africa. The park's name is an indicator that it focuses on conserving and observing African animals. Although the park's history and the weather in the Netherlands make a 'realistic African experience' nearly impossible. During the 90s, the park attempted to provide visitors 'a journey around the world in one day', and has sections devoted to the fauna of the American, Asian, European and Australian continents. The European section has been removed, with scottish highlanders and European red deer being the only remnants of those times. The Australian section now contains only some giant kangaroos and emus. The American section still contains the selection of small animals it originally contained, including capybaras, squirrel monkeys and guanacos
Guañacos
Guañacos is a village and municipality in Neuquén Province in southwestern Argentina.-References:...
. In the future, all these animals will be moved to other zoos or are put into programmes to combat extinction. Ultimately, only African and a few Asian animals will remain and the park will be able to focus on its 'One day in Africa!' theme.