A large group of motocross riders incurred the wrath of forest ranger Erik de Jonge on Wednesday. They raced through the Mattemburgh forest reserve with stunts and engines roaring. This is a protected nature reserve located between Hoogerheide and Bergen op Zoom. “They drove criss-cross through groups of walkers and plowed everything over,” says Erik de Jonge angrily.
The ranger was working nearby in the forest when he received a call from a hiker. He said that a huge group of motocross riders raced right past him. It is forbidden to ride motorcycles in the area. De Jonge immediately called the police and fellow forest rangers and gave chase.
“They drove straight through everything and you see deep tracks.”
“I heard them driving and was lucky that I ended up right with them. I think there were 24. I have never seen such a large group,” says De Jonge. “They were sliding in all directions, so I chose to film in the hope that I would have recognizable license plates on them.” Meanwhile, hikers in the area helped the ranger find the motocross riders. “They shouted: they were going that way! Yes, those people really helped.”
He shared the video footage on social media platform X on Wednesday evening. The footage shows the riders driving through the trees and over the grass towards the road. One couldn’t resist doing some stunts on one rear wheel. “They have completely plowed up a Natura 2000 area, with the highest protected status. They have driven straight through everything and you see deep tracks. It is really scandalous.”
“They could end up in court.”
The ranger eventually managed to pin down one motorcyclist. He upheld it and was ultimately fined by the green boas of Samen Sterk in Brabant (SSiB). “We took his key and driver’s license and then started looking for the rest,” says De Jonge. “We almost got three more, but they still slipped through the cracks.”
The ranger was able to write down their license plates. And the license plates are also clearly visible on some images. “We’re going to see if we can find them out this way,” says De Jonge. If they succeed, the men will be in serious trouble. “Normally a fine for this is at least 100 euros, but they have destroyed so much. So we are now investigating whether it is a violation of the Nature Conservation Act. And if so, they could end up in court.”
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