Abstract
These compliments would suggest that the place is really well known and that it would have a solid international reputation like Birdpark Walsrode. But the Veldhoven Parrot Park, also known as NOP, is not in that league. Even in the European birdlovers community, this place is not often mentioned and mostly known by parrot breeders who, unfortunately, rarely share their knowledge with non specialists.
The park itself is named Papegaaienpark Veldhoven and the nickname NOP is in fact derived from the name of the Dutch Foundation for the Refuge and Care of Parrots which runs the place. The foundation itself was created in 1987 by
a former parrot-dealer named Tonnie Van Meegen who realized that most parrots he sold were returned back to him because the owners could not care properly for them. The idea of creating a parrot refuge soon turned into reality, which put an end to his career as a parrot dealer and seller. With the growing popular-
ity of his association, he soon needed more space to build aviaries and tropical greenhouses to keep more and more birds donated to him each week.
In 1992, a 19.75-acre forested field located close to Eindhoven airport was acquired and the park opened to the public in 1993. As more birds of different kinds kept arriving as surplus from other parks or confiscated animals by
the Dutch customs, the park kept getting bigger and, thanks to the generosity of private donors and sponsors, a tropical hall and several big aviaries were built between 1995 and 2005. Today, the NOP is the world's biggest parrot sanctuary and houses one of the biggest bird collections in Europe. The purpose of this park is not to breed or exhibit species, but to keep working as a parrot sanctuary and care center. A hospital entirely devoted
to parrots has been built in 2000, thanks to a German sponsor and more facilities are added each year. The NOP currently works with the World Parrot Trust, based in Paradise Park (England) for parrot conservation in the wild but also establishing parrots breeding programs in captivity and giving tutorials on how to properly take care and keep these feathered jewels.
From 1993, the parrot park has been opened to public and all the admission fees (10 euros these days) are used for animal care and feeding. Only volunteers are working at the park and nobody, even the owner, is being paid for their duties. It is to be stressed that this park is not a breeding center but European laws are very strict on keeping animals belonging to Appendix I of CITES. In that case, no matter the park's goals and policy, breeding must be encouraged and attempted which has led to great successes with Hyacinth Macaws and several hornbill species, the most recent achievements being recorded with the Sulawesi Redknobbed Hornbills (Aceros cassidix) and the extremely rarely bred Rufous Hornbills (Buceros hydrocorax), this last species being kept backstage.
I was first introduced to this unique bird park by a parrot breeder friend who took me there and offered me a guided tour of the facilities in April 2006. I had already visited many nice bird collections such as Birdpark Walsrode, Berlin Zoo and Jurong Bird Park but I must admit I was blown away. No information about the place had ever reached me since I started to get interested in zoos and birds and I couldn't imagine that this park could house such an incredible collection, particularly concerning tropical American birds!
The purpose of this article is to make you discover the NOP as I was lucky to visit it more than five times in five consecutive years. I would recommend spending two full days in the park in order to see most rarities showcased in the different exhibits, especially in the tropical hall named Tropi-joy, where most species are not labeled.
Our visit starts with the first rows of aviaries, entirely dedicated to medium- to big-sized parrot species. Here, the focus is not about the landscaping of exhib-
its but more about functionality, hygiene and easiness for all daily care-tasks. Some perches and wooden structures are provided but no vegetation has been added. First on show are several pairs of amazons, each shown in one small aviary.