Bart Lensink

Bartholomeus Marinus “Bart” Lensink (28 August 1925 – December 2024) was a Dutch zoologist. He was the fifth director of the zoo Natura Artis Magistra in Amsterdam from 1973 to 1990.The Hague Population Register (family cards), The Hague Municipal Archives 

Biography
Born in The Hague, Lensink received his doctorate in 1963 with a thesis on the distribution of Acrididae in nature reserve . He then worked for some time at the  (National Service for the IJsselmeerpolders) and for nine years as a biology teacher in Brielle. He then became principal of the .

In 1973, Lensink succeeded Ernst Frederik Jacobi as director of Artis. During Lensink's directorship, the approach to animals changed.Vroeger kon je met een aap op de foto, Trouw, 2010 The animal became central and no longer the pleasure of the visitor, keeper or director. For example, before his directorship, keepers would walk with monkeys and have them perform tricks to please the public. The number of species was reduced by a third, from 1529 species in 1972 to 1051 in 1990.Artis en de functieverandering van dierentuinen

Lensink died in December 2024 at the age of 99 years old.Oud Artis-directeur Bart Lensink stond aan de wieg van de moderne dierentuin

References

Category:Dutch people
category:Zoologists
Category:People from The Hague
Category:1925 births
Category:2024 deaths