Date opened 17 May 1950 Major exhibits Birds Website Official website | Memberships NVD and EAZA Owner Van der Valk | |
Location Alphen aan den Rijn, South Holland, Netherlands | ||
Vogelpark Avifauna (English: Avifauna Bird Park) is a large bird park in Alphen aan den Rijn, in the western Netherlands. It was the first dedicated bird park in the world. The park has a lot of greenery and ponds, and also a restaurant and a children's playground. The park is owned by the Van der Valk group.
History
The zoo was set up in the garden of the Ten Rhijn estate by the owner, Van den Brink, and it was opened on 17 May 1950, the first bird park in the world. Toucans were featured on the posters for the park's opening, and a toucan has been depicted on the zoo's logo since, and also on the logos of the Van der Valk restaurant chain and Hotel Avifauna, which is situated on the edge of the park.
On the night of 23 December 2005 a fire broke out. About twenty birds were killed. The stables and an adjoining house were completely destroyed by the fire, and replacement buildings were completed in 2008.
In the night of 25 to 26 September 2014, a large number (36) of birds were stolen from the park. Although most of them have been found in an ongoing investigation, unfortunately, a few have died due to neglect from the thieves.