A new book has been published that brings half a century of zoo history to life. Our Life with the Animals of the Noorder Zoo tells the stories of former head keeper Rieks Scheve, who has worked among the animals since 1965 and was closely involved in countless special moments in the park, as he tells in Cassata on Radio Drenthe.
Scheve joined the old Noorder Zoo in 1965, after reporting directly to founder Willem Oosting. He started as an assistant keeper, but quickly rose to become head of animal care. In Cassata he says that the work was completely different at that time: with only five caregivers they had to be able to do everything. Later the team grew to 65 people. According to Scheve, the park changed dramatically under the leadership of Oosting and later Jaap and Aleid Rensen, from small cubicles to large habitats such as the savannah, where eventually 104 animals had to learn to live together.
According to Scheve, the book, written by Gerben Dijkstra of Uitgeverij Drenthe together with Jan Oosting, son of the founder, is a long-cherished wish. He wanted to preserve his memories and experiences, also for the people who built the zoo. His wife Tiny, who always helped with the many trips and transports, died three years ago. “She would have loved this,” he says in the broadcast.
Scheve calls working with animals the most beautiful thing there is, but also says that there were difficult moments. One of the events that has always stayed with him is the accident with the young elephant Annabel. The animal fell into the canal and appeared to have broken its back. Scheve sat with her all day, talking and comforting her, until that evening the vet decided she had to be put down. The loss gave him a sleepless night.
The book is full of stories about remarkable animal transports. For example, Scheve traveled all the way to Australia, via Frankfurt, with a broad-lipped rhinoceros born in Emmen, without stunning the animal. Everything turned out fine, although there were several stops along the way. In the broadcast he also reminisces about a drive from Barcelona, where he had to keep a bag full of snakes warm in the car.
Of Our Life with the Animals of the Noorder Zoo According to Scheve, an important piece of Drenthe history has been secured. Scheve hopes that the book will appeal to people who care about the old zoo in Emmen, but also to readers who are curious about working with animals.
According to him, the many photos and stories should show how special and sometimes challenging life in the park was. He says in the broadcast that he is quite proud that everything is now together, in a sturdy book of more than 230 pages. In Cassata, Scheve calls it ‘a book that had to be published’, so that memories are not lost and new generations understand how special the Noorder Zoo once was.