Education hut and restaurant opened: Elephant Valley Beekse Bergen completed

With the opening of the new restaurant and an innovative educational hut, the development of the Elephant Valley at Beekse Bergen is now officially complete. The area is inspired by the Kikuyu, a population group from Kenya, who originally live around Mount Kenya. Various animal species in Safaripark, including the calves Mosi, Ajabu and Tendai, have already been able to use the expanded outdoor area for some time.

For Rens Willemsen, general manager of Safarpark Beekse Bergen, the opening is a milestone. "We have been building this area for over a year and a half. The expansion had already been planned, but when we discovered that three elephants were pregnant, we had to move even faster. It is fantastic to see what we have all accomplished and how incredibly beautiful it has become, both for the animals and the visitors."

There is a lot of focus on education. Willemsen: "The animals in our park are the ambassadors of their kind in the wild and that's why we think it's also important to talk about the difficulties in their habitat. African elephants are suffering due to poaching and shrinking habitats, as well as human-animal conflicts. At Elephant Valley, we explain the latter problem."

Education hut

This happens in Makena's "hut," built in the traditional style of the Kikuyu with round walls, constructed of red clay and with a thatched roof. Inside, the real-life village elder (Makena) talks about the problems with the elephants that he and his fellow villagers encountered. A distinctive feature is the collapsed small building on the elephant plain, which - according to the story - was completely destroyed by a herd, which also destroyed that year's harvest.

At the same time, he also talks about the solution found: bee hives. Elephants are in fact afraid of bees, so placing hives around agricultural areas ensures that these animals are more likely to walk over and leave the crops alone. Through Stichting Wildlife, Safaripark Beekse Bergen supports the Elephants and Bees project, which educates people in Africa about this solution.

Comprehensive

In addition to the educational hut, the Africa Village has also been expanded to include a brand new restaurant. One side is built in the same Kikuyu-inspired style as the other structures in the village, the other side consists of large glass facades that overlook the elephant valley, giraffe and rhino plains on three sides. There are 150 seats inside; the covered terrace outside can seat 200 visitors.

According to Willemsen, the restaurant will focus primarily on lunch. "With a large selection of green fast food." The menu will include salads and African Bowls, fruit dishes, pinsas, focaccia and sweets. "As much as 75 percent of the selection is vegetarian. The dishes are also served in reusable plastic," he adds.

Elephant Valley

The elephant enclosure itself has been expanded by 2 acres to give the entire herd, including the calves, proper space. The area includes a large watering hole, several barriers in the perk that prevent them from always seeing each other and hiding from each other and a shallow clay pool where they can roll in the mud.

The valley is also a lot hillier, allowing the elephants to explore different elevations. There are two separate areas, where a total of 11 African elephants live, divided into two groups. Besides elephants, Nile lechwe, Defassa waterbuck, Spotted hyena and cheetah also live in and around the valley, as well as Secretarybirds, vultures and more than 150 weavers.

Northern Corridors Project

With the expansion of the herd in Safaripark Beekse Bergen is also drawing attention to African elephants in the wild. For example, together with Stichting Wildlife, the park supports Save the Elephants' Northern Corridors Project. This project connects nature parks in Kenya by creating corridors: safe passages for wild animals, such as elephants.

The goal is to raise 60,000 euros: the rate of a corridor. Thanks to proceeds from adoptions of two of the elephants by Rotsvast Tilburg B.V. and Miko Koffie Nederland, sales in the friends' corral and donations from visitors, half of this target amount has already been raised. "With the sales from the friends' corral and hopefully the adoption of the third elephant, we are hopeful that we can also make this project a success," Willemsen concludes.

Want to know more about the construction? Also watch the making of with designer Rick Merkx:

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