The Zoo of Tilburg

We all feel like getting away from our routine lives at times. That is surely difficult to do, if you don’t know where to go. Well, luckily Tilburg has many daily attractions to offer its residents. One of the most popular is the Oliemeulen Zoo. The proper Dutch name for it, is Dierenpark De Oliemeulen, but the Dutch people simply call this and those alike “dierentuin”.

The zoo was initially only for reptiles and grew to be the adorable place with many diverse creatures over the course of thirty years. Now, they have over a hundred fifty different animal species! There are lots of animals inside and outside environments.

Oliemeulen not only showcases the animals but also puts on various shows with certain carnivorous birds, like hawks and owls. These birds are trained to obey commands from trainers, fly from point A to point B, pose for pictures with kids and so on. But the activities don’t stop there, if you have a fascination for some venomous reptiles and bugs, you are sure to enjoy the time of the day where (with the supervision of trained staff) visitors get to see small snakes and even tarantulas up close, without an encasement! Some brave visitors are allowed to hold these animals and they always have a proud look on their faces afterwards.

Once you are done with your experience in the dierentuin, it is very normal to miss all of the cute animals you see there. Lucky for you, you can continue to have a connection to them even after you leave Oliemeulen, for a price of course. Oliemeulen lets enthusiastic visitors with the proper means to “adopt” some of the animals. Do not get it twisted, you do not get to take these fellas home with you, as it is made abundantly clear on their website. The goal of this adoption is to donate to a certain resident of the zoo financially and provide for them, to further ensure that they continue to be treated well. Although it would be the dream to go home with a lemur at the end of the day, I doubt Oliemeulen will have such a program any time soon since it would be a full time job to care for these wild animals and give them a living environment that is worthy of them.

If you are willing to brace yourself for a day out in the cold Dutch weather and ignore the pricey café inside, this just might be the outing for you during your weekends. I suggest you bring snacks!