After a handful of visitors at Wildlands climbed on top of boulders near the elephant habitat over the weekend, the theme park is taking additional measures to make sure guests keep a safe distance.
Translation by Traci White
RTV Noord reports that the park has already started placing thorn bushes along the perimeter of the rocks to prevent people from climbing them in the hopes of getting a closer look at the elephants.
Even though there are already signed posted in the area forbidding it, a group of around ten people climbed the rocks at the elephant habitat on Sunday. Jan de Zwarte, a photographer who was visiting the animal park at the time, shared photos of the people on the rocks with their faces obscured to draw attention to the dangerous behaviour. The photos show people standing and crouching on the edge of the enclosure, within meters of one of the elephants.
Wildlands spokesperson Hanneke Wijshake told RTV Noord that getting so close to the animals is “extremely dangerous, because elephants are still wild animals.” In addition to making the rocks off limits, the park is reportedly planning to create more areas near the habitat for visitors to see the elephants up close while remaining safe.
