Apenheul Primate Park, The Netherlands

Apenheul is a 12 hectare primate nature park in the Netherlands. It harbours over thirty species of primates, many of them ranging freely among the visitors. Other species, like gorillas, orangutans and bonobos, live on large islands. Apenheul’s gorilla troop, with close to 20 animals, is the largest social group in the zoo-world. Noteworthy are the wooded island of the bonobos, the revolutionary exhibit for orangutans and the Madagascar Forest.

Recent developments include a petting zoo based on a Bornean Dayak Farm and a tree-walk highlighting a number of issues of the Amazon rainforest.

Education programs at Apenheul, such as guided tours, signs, information about in situ projects, keeper talks and ethology workshops all contribute to Apenheul’s mission statement: to promote public awareness of the interdependence of all living things with an emphasis on tropical rain forests, and to further active support for the conservation of primates in the wild.