Wim Mager
Encyclopedia
Wim Mager was a Dutch
photographer who is mainly known for founding the Apenheul Primate Park near Apeldoorn
of which he was the director until 1997. When he had found a successor he moved to France
and started a similar primate park near Poitiers
called La Vallée des Singes
.
Apenheul was the result of an out of control hobby. Mager had two small monkeys as a pet but when the pair got children one thing led to another. His ideal was starting a primate park where the primates would not be kept in cages but could walk free among the people. Apenheul was the first park of its kind in the world. Bert de Boer, the later director of Apenheul called him a "pionier of the zoo world".
Mager died on the first Easter day in 2008 at 67 years of age after having been ill for some time. He twice got a stroke
, the last heavy one a week before his death.
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...
photographer who is mainly known for founding the Apenheul Primate Park near Apeldoorn
Apeldoorn
Apeldoorn is a municipality and city in the province of Gelderland, about 60 miles south east of Amsterdam, in the centre of the Netherlands. It is a regional centre and has 155,000 . The municipality of Apeldoorn, including villages like Beekbergen, Loenen and Hoenderloo, has over 155,000...
of which he was the director until 1997. When he had found a successor he moved to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and started a similar primate park near Poitiers
Poitiers
Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque...
called La Vallée des Singes
La Vallée des Singes
La Vallée des Singes is a primate park in Romagne, France.The park is specializes in primates and holds amongst others gorillas, chimpanzees, lemurs and dwarf monkeys....
.
Apenheul was the result of an out of control hobby. Mager had two small monkeys as a pet but when the pair got children one thing led to another. His ideal was starting a primate park where the primates would not be kept in cages but could walk free among the people. Apenheul was the first park of its kind in the world. Bert de Boer, the later director of Apenheul called him a "pionier of the zoo world".
Mager died on the first Easter day in 2008 at 67 years of age after having been ill for some time. He twice got a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
, the last heavy one a week before his death.