23-26 January 2025
Dear colleagues and friends,
The more we know about the impact of adequate animal nutrition on animal welfare, the more we realize there is still a lot to discover. Therefore it is very important that zoos share and increase their knowledge on this important topic. We are frontrunners, or at least should strive to be so, on this matter and in my opinion it’s one of the hidden gems of modern day, leading zoos. Gems, that we should share not only between zoos, but also with our visitors and other stakeholders. The more people know about the importance of nutrition outside your field of expertise, the more your field of work will be able to attract more funding and thus improve itself.
The recently developed habitat for small New World primates at Apenheul, might be a good example. It improves animal welfare on a multifactorial scale ánd involves the visitor. The exhibit barrier consists of a more-than-hundred-metres-long insect hotel, which aims to provide the insectivorous callitrichids with countless foraging opportunities. This insect hotel is a conversation piece and gives us the opportunity to talk about the importance of biodiversity and the role of primates in the food chain.
We are very honoured that Apenheul is given the opportunity to host this year’s nutrition conference and I hope many of you will be able to participate and visit the park. I wish you a lot of inspiration and would like to challenge you to team up with your marketing and communications department in order to convince even more people about the importance of good food!
Roel Welsing
Managing Director Apenheul
The European Zoo Nutrition Conference programme will be made available to registered delegates through the Whova Conference app.
Date | Time | Programme |
23 January 2025 | 09:00-17:00 | Optional EAZA Academy Workshop |
18:00-20:00 | Conference Icebreaker | |
24 January 2025 | 09:00-17:00 | (Conference day 1): Scientific and poster sessions |
25 January 2025 | 09:00-17:00 | (Conference day 2): Zoo visit and practical demonstrations, scientific sessions |
18:00-22:00 | Farewell Dinner | |
26 January 2025 | 09:00-13:00 | Scientific sessions |
Early-bird registration is open and available until 28 November 2024.
The venue address for the European Nutrition Conference is:
Conference centre De St@art (Apenheul Primate Park)
J.C. Wilslaan 31, 7313 HK, Apeldoorn, the Netherlands
Tutors: Heidi Bissell, Marcus Clauss, Lauren Samet
Aimed at: Anyone responsible for animal diets (nutritionists, keepers, vets) at a zoo
Workshop aim(s):
This workshop aims to go back to basics for those who have not had formal training in animal nutrition, specifically in formulating diets, nutrient calculations, and understanding various aspects of nutrient concentrations. The workshop will use (freely available) Zoo Diet NaviGator software to carry out these tasks, allowing delegates to be trained in the use of this software by its creator, Heidi Bissell.
Learning outcomes: By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
Registration for this Academy workshop is possible via the Nutrition Conference registration form.
Participation fees:
Programme
Time | Programme |
08:00 | Registration |
09:00 | Welcome |
09:15 | Workshop session I: Nutrient concentrations in typical natural diets and in typical items available in European countries. Commercially available diets: portfolio, brand names and labels. When to supplement |
10:30 | Break |
11:00 | Workshop session II: Animal requirement assumptions |
12:30 | Lunch |
13:30 | Workshop session III by Heidi Bissell: Zoo NaviGator Software introduction / demo |
14:30 | Break |
15:00 | Workshop session IV: Guided tour with activities: creating, editing, analyzing a diet |
17:00 | Conclusion |
Make sure to arrange your accommodation as soon as you can. We also advise you to look into accommodation options offered by Booking.com and Airbnb close to the venue.
The hotels listed below are also recommended, based on close proximity to the venue as well as promotional pricing for conference delegates. Feel free to look for other accommodation options in the area.
Hotel | Distance to venue | Single* | Double* | Contact |
Van der Valk de Cantharel | 4.8 km | €109 | €109 | sales@vandervalkapeldoorn.nl |
Charme Hotel Hoog Soeren | 3.9 km | €104.40 | €124.40 | info@oranjeoord.nl |
Bilderberg de Keizerskroon | 3.0 km | €129 | €148 | reservation@bilderberg-dekeizerskroon.nl |
Fletcher Apeldoorn | 1.5 km | €98.50 | €127 | info@hotelapeldoorn.nl |
StayOkay Hostel | 1.5 km | €62.50 | €62.50 | see website |
Bastion het Loo | 2.2 km | €100 | €100 | see website |
Zenzez Hotel | 2.5 km | n/a | €120 | see website |
Hotel Berg & Bos | 1.5 km | €75 | €100 | info@hotelbergenbos.nl |
B&B Het Kantongerecht | 3.5 km | €57.50 | €77.50 | see website |
Hotel/ Cafe de Paris | 2.9 km | €64 | €100 | info@paris.nl |
If you travel by car please be advised there is no free parking space at Apenheul. You can park at the public parking place right across the entrance of Apenheul. A day parking ticket costs €5,25.
While in Apeldoorn you can also consider making use of the Rental bike service, provided by OV-Fiets and very affordable.
Apeldoorn and Apenheul are easily accessible by car and public transportation. It is highly recommended to rent a bike or to use the OV-bike service to explore Apeldoorn and surroundings.
From Schiphol airport, you can take the train to Apeldoorn, approximate travel time is one hour. See NS timetable and journey planner here.
Time schedules for Dutch public transport can be found at https://9292.nl. E-tickets can be purchased by using the 9292 app.
Apeldoorn has a train station and there is a straight intercity train connection from Schiphol Airport or Amsterdam Central station to Apeldoorn. At Apeldoorn Central station, you can take Bus 1 (Final destination is Apenheul, via Rijkskantoren), leaving every 15 minutes. It will take you 12 minutes to arrive at Apenheul by bus. A short walk of nearly 10 minutes from the bus stop, through park Berg and Bos will bring you to the entrance of our Conference Centre.
Bus timetables will be made available at the registration desk and online.
If you would like to travel by taxi you can contact:
Taxi SchimmelTel: 0031 (0)55 533 33 66
This is a local taxi company which can bring you to a destination near Apeldoorn but also to Schiphol Airport if needed. Note: please book in advance when possible. You can obviously also consider using the Uber or Bolt app.
The Berg and Bos Parking Area is located at the entrance of Park Berg and Bos ( J.C. Wilslaan 21) and the parking fee is € 5,25 for a whole day. This is also the Taxi drop-off and pick-up point. The walk from the parking area to the conference centre is 5 minutes. Bike parking is located at the entrance of Park Berg en Bos as well.
If you have time to visit neighbouring places before or after the conference, we recommend you to check the following links:
EAZA Corporate Members and affiliated companies have received a sponsorship invitation around mid-July 2024.