DierenPark Amersfoort is a 20 ha zoo located on the West side of Amersfoort, in the province of Utrecht, on the edge of the Birkhoven forest, in the Netherlands.

History

The zoo was founded on 22 May 1948 by Mr. Tertoolen and Mr. Knoester. Initially it was a very small zoo with a monkey, a bear, a camel and some farm animals. In the years afterwards the first carnivore arrived, and in 1956 the elephants Indra and Rani arrived. In 1960, Mr. and Mrs. Vis-Tertoolen, one of the zoo founder's daughters and her husband, took over the management of the zoo, and the first of the chimpanzees arrived. In 1979, 2 white southern white lions were born, but while growing up they became normally colored. In 1982 seven Sudan cheetahs were born. In 1988, the park got a savanna area and "De Ark van Amersfoort" (Amersfoort's Ark) was opened. The zoo currently has an area of about 20 ha. It is home to more than 100 animal species and hosts about 800,000 visitors annually. Its ridable miniature railway, has a worldwide unique gauge of. On September 4, 2019, the zoo's last white tiger, Maxie, died of lung cancer. She was 16 years old.

Themed areas

The park contains the following themed areas:

Animal collection

Below is an overview of the animal collection from DierenPark Amersfoort. The fishes and invertebrates lists are incomplete. {| class="vatop"

Mammals

Predators Proboscidean Odd-toed ungulates Even-toed ungulates Bats Xenarthra Marsupials Rodents Primates

Birds

Birds of prey and owls Flightless birds Aquatic birds Storks Poultry birds Parrots Songbirds Cranes Doves

Reptiles

Lizards Crocodiles Snakes Tortoises

Amphibians

Fishes

Invertebrates

Incidents

On November 3, 2020, two male chimpanzees, Mike en Karibuna, escaped their enclosures due to human error. To prevent further escalation, the two male chimpanzees were shot. No visitors or employees were injured.