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Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. which checks the proper application of rules said parts of the shows at the Dolfinarium are not in accordance with the animals’ natural behaviour which is one of the conditions of the licence walruses and sea lions as well as sharks and fish currently offers eight shows in which the animals can be seen up close and in some cases The list of unnatural behaviour includes dolphins which push trainers through the water with their noses dolphins that jump onto the side of the basin sea lions flapping their fins and a walrus that splashes water onto a person and “shakes his blubber” on command “This is making clowns of the animals,” the RVO said in the document of a dolphin putting its nose in the neck of a trainer suggest the animal is a pet that can be cuddled Such treatment contravenes the educational purposes of the park The park, which had an earlier run-in with inspectors in 2021 has to adjust its shows before April 11 or face fines of up to €10,000 or even partial closure The RVO report is based partly on videos made last year by animal rights group association Bite Back which filed a compliance report with the organisation last summer “It’s profit before animal welfare,” Bite Back spokesman Raymond Olivers told RTL “The rules of the agreement with the government are there in black and white but time and time again they are ignored It’s important to get this out in the open,” he said Recent videos made by visitors show that many of the same tricks are still being performed Dolfinarium director Alex Tiebot said in a written reaction that the RVO’s findings were contrary to those of safety watchdog NWVA in May last year which he said concluded no unnatural behaviour took place during the shows given a different interpretation to parts of the presentations but has completely missed their educational context,” Tiebot said We could not provide the Dutch News service without the generous support of our readers Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day Many thanks to everyone who has donated to DutchNews.nl in recent days We could not provide this service without you Please help us making DutchNews.nl a better read by taking part in a short survey Several dozen animal rights activists have been blocking the entrances to the Dolfinarium in Harderwijk since 09:50 a.m The activists from Bite Back and Active for Justice are demonstrating because they believe that the animals at the Dolfinarium live in poor conditions Nu: activisten van Bite Back, Active for Justice en Animal Rebellion Noord bij het Dolfinarium. Een deel van hen heeft zich vastgeketend aan de 6 toegangspoorten. Daaromheen staan actievoerders met spandoeken en worden flyers uitgedeeld. De actie is georganiseerd door Bite Back. pic.twitter.com/UXNaodJpTp Some of the activists have tied themselves to the entrance gates with steel pipes and some are also wearing dolphin costumes visitors could only enter through a side entrance from 10:30 a.m. The marine mammal park normally opens at 10:00 Fences with cloths have been placed in front of the entrances to which the activists have tied themselves so that they are no longer visible to the public.A spokesperson for Bite Back gives the example of 3-meter-long Steller sea lions sitting in a 1.60-meter-deep pool It is not for nothing that the Dolfinarium was recently excluded from the European trade association.” According to the foundation the Dolfinarium also still allows trainers to surf on the noses of dolphins and sea lions to wave their flippers at the public “This violates the agreements made with the government We believe that now is the time to close this park and give the animals an animal-friendly future.”The activists plan to continue the protest for as long as possible and they say they will not stop if the Dolfinarium opens a side entrance we want to expose the fate of the animals in a playful and highly visible way don't visit this park,” the spokesperson said Tiebot is "surprised" by the action and hopes that the police and municipality will decide to enforce at a later time He thinks that the activists may not agree "with the mission of the Dolfinarium" for example by applying for a demonstration permit or going to court He therefore has "no respect" for this action which according to him is "comparable to breaking and entering" Tiebot hopes to find out the identity of the activists with the help of the enforcement so that a report of trespassing can be filed and the damages can be recovered from them Trained to perform tricks for the visiting public for most of their lives the dolphins held at Dolfinarium Harderwijk will no longer do so following an investigation commissioned by the Ministry of Agriculture and Nature which found the dolphins were used for entertainment purposes and there was no educational programme in place inspectors from the ministry visited Dolfinarium Harderwijk and questions were raised about the performances the animals were trained to take part in and the interaction with the public in particular photo opportunities with the dolphins Like most marine parks/dolphinaria globally Dolfinarium Harderwijk has experienced large financial losses due to the Covid19 pandemic The dolphinarium has said they will change the format of their ‘shows’ to focus more on the animals’ natural behaviour and has revealed they also plan to move eight of their bottlenose dolphins two sea lions and two walruses are headed for Hainan Ocean Paradise the destination of the remaining two walruses is not yet confirmed This is of great concern for many reasons the dolphins will in all probability be used in the same show format they previously were in Harderwijk – performing demeaning tricks in shows to ‘entertain’ the paying public Captivity Director for Marine Connection comments; “it is astounding that so many concerns were raised regarding conditions at this facility yet Harderwijk are being allowed to take the one action of changing the show format  Even if the park does send eight dolphins to China with the large number of dolphins still held there a ban on any future breeding at the park should have been recommended in the report has already stated that although they have ‘enough dolphins at the moment’ they may recommence a breeding programme in the future This should not be allowed and we will be addressing the call for a breeding ban further with the authorities captivity is not educational and must be phased out.” Marine Connection is now making further investigations regarding the potential dolphin exports to China DONATE © 2016 Marine Connection - Charity No. 1062222 : Legal : Site Map : Web Design by Jo When I was there I saw Spanish tourists posing in front of them where you’re from depends on who you’re asking who either take a better look at the map or oppose too much European integration Ermelo is a small town in the middle of the Netherlands you’re never far away from bustling places like Utrecht and Amsterdam with two tracks that can take you almost anywhere don’t imagine dark and impenetrable forests The Netherlands are way too small for that sort of thing Ermelo’s pride: the restored traditional windmill (Caroline Nelissen/YJI) We have a lot of people living on a really small piece of land and sometimes it seems like they’re trying to build on one square millimeter the woods we have in Ermelo are rather impressive A Dutch flag and a sign that tells the prices of different vegetables mainly from other parts of the Netherlands and Germany who come to enjoy the woods and heathlands as well as everything this region has to offer with an evening market every week and terribly long lines at the supermarkets once cold and rain start to creep into the air again When you see the local ice cream salon that in summer was so crowded you weren’t very likely to find a seat a small theater and stores of most important chains You could probably live your life without hardly ever leaving Ermelo even though both towns are practically adjoining Harderwijk is much bigger and truly breaths history with its medieval buildings and quaint little streets Harderwijk’s habor is also home to a couple of ‘woonboten.’ These rectangular-shaped boats are not for sailing; they’re like floating houses that people live in but thanks to a long dike – our national specialty – it’s been a fresh water lake since the early 1930s Harderwijk still has the atmosphere of a town at sea Sometimes I’d swear I can recognize the salty smell of the sea in the often harsh winds Something that adds to this ‘sea-feeling’ is the sound of dolphins that you occasionally hear though these dolphins aren’t exactly in their natural environment The dolphins are probably the number one reason why most people in the Netherlands know Harderwijk even though I only moved to this part of the country when I was 10 years old There are days when I hate the gloomy weather and pledge that I will move to a warmer place as soon as I can But there are also these moments when I feel a jolt of happiness just by walking down a street in one of these towns and enjoying everything that’s happening There’s certainly nothing of the excitement of New York or the elegance of Paris here Both towns have a certain atmosphere that makes me happy Caroline Nelissen is a Reporter and Senior Photographer for Youth Journalism International “This incredibly important, worthwhile organization should be supported by everyone who cares about quality, ethical journalism.” — Nat Hentoff, First Amendment expert, in 2016 Consider making a recurring monthly donation Youth Journalism International / 30 Taylor St All donations in the USA are tax-deductible Listen to the author read this article: Sétif Listen to the author read this article: Lagos NIGERIA – Dubbed as “No man’s.. 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Click here to view a map of our impact You can find Youth Journalism International on Facebook Copyright © 2025 Youth Journalism International | Crafted by Cornershop Tesla has plugged in its first fourth-generation fast-charging stations The 16 V4 Superchargers are located in Harderwijk in the Netherlands The site will open up to third-party brands soon The main difference to the previous generation is That should make it easier for other brands to use the chargers The new Superchargers in Harderwijk are initially only open to Tesla vehicles as Tesla wants to test and evaluate the performance of the new stations Tesla has yet to communicate the performance of the new pillars officially. The site was discovered a few weeks ago when it was still under construction A type plate photographed on one of the pillars indicates a maximum output of 250 kW – a maximum of 500 volts is possible Now a new image surfaced of a type plate attached to the back of one of the V4 Superchargers It indicates a “Rated Voltage” of 1,000 VDC and a “Rated Current” of 615 amps That would translate to a charging capacity of up to 600 kW if the same logic was applied to CCS charging stations from other providers We will soon welcome all EVs at this site and open new V4 sites across Europe — Tesla Charging (@TeslaCharging) March 15, 2023 The charging process for Tesla vehicles remains the same as seen in the first charging videos made in Harderwijk There is still no display or card reader; the cable now attached to the outside of the columns is removed from the holder and connected to the vehicle nothing should change in the charging process other than that it requires the Tesla app Tesla tweeted that it plans to open new V4 locations across Europe there are no details about the scope and rollout schedule yet Tesla has now opened the world’s first V4 location in Harderwijk to third-party brands the location went into operation a few weeks ago – but initially only for Tesla vehicles in a kind of trial operation Since the V4 Superchargers’ longer charging cables are optimised for charging non-Teslas it was only a matter of time before the location was opened to electric cars of all brands I agree with the Privacy policy electrive has been following the development of electric mobility with journalistic passion and expertise since 2013 we offer comprehensive coverage of the highest quality — as a central platform for the rapid development of this technology According to the latest reports from the Netherlands the new Tesla Supercharging station with V4 stalls in Harderwijk appears to be ready instead of red and white like in the case of V3 stalls They are also taller to accommodate a noticeably longer cable The station in Harderwijk has a total of 16 stalls, as noted in the previous report but we don't know other details - specifically the power output (V3 versions are rated at up to 250 kilowatts) Tesla announced during the 2023 Investor Day on March 1 that the V4 Supercharger installation began in Europe Europe has been prioritized because there is the highest number of stations available for non-Tesla electric vehicles through the non-Tesla Supercharging Pilot program Because various non-Tesla electric cars have charging inlets in different locations a longer charging cable is a necessity to connect some of them without awkward parking or blocking two stalls The first V4 Supercharging station is expected to go online later this month considering that the infrastructure is installed and probably just awaits final approval some of the Tesla enthusiasts managed to take photos of the new V4 stalls and compare them side-by-side with the older V3 ones What we see in the tweet attached below are the two stall types although we must remember that the most important parts are the power electronic cabinets which are installed in close proximity to the parking lot The stalls are basically just end terminals all new V3 and V4 Superchargers are compatible with the CCS2 charging connector (natively used also in new Tesla cars) In North America, the company uses its proprietary plug - NACS, so the V3/V4 Superchargers will be additionally equipped with the Magic Dock, which includes also a CCS1 adapter. About 10 or so stations with Magic Dock were already launched in the United States Tesla’s European Death Spiral Has No End In Sight The 2026 Jeep Compass Gets An EV Version With Up To 404 Miles Of Range Why Tesla's Large Drive Unit Is The V8 Engine Of EVs Waymo Is Far From Done With The Jaguar I-Pace Here's Why There Are So Few EVs For Sale In America Right Now Ford Isn't Slowing Down Mustang Mach-E Production Roswell Marine announced a major expansion establishing a new Roswell Europe division to provide fast This move delivers Roswell’s worldwide dealer network boat manufacturers and customers service with a factory-direct distribution center located in Harderwijk “We’ve made a significant investment in establishing Roswell Europe with a new distribution center and a passionate experienced team in place,” said Robert Oswell “Our vision for innovating life on the water is paralleled in approach by European boat manufacturers who have a history of leading the industry in design and quality standards We are excited for the future and committed to bringing our partners the very best products and service worldwide.” Roswell Europe further extends the company’s global footprint and Roswell’s Global Headquarters in the U.S and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings we will not be able to save your preferences This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences More information about our Cookie Policy on our Privacy Policy Netherlands is abolishing entertainment tricks by dolphins after criticism of their living conditions Netherlands will stop performing tricks for audiences after a critical report about their living conditions last year The entertainment park will continue to host shows Following an investigation commissioned by the Netherlands’s Ministry of Agriculture the marine zoo was asked to make improvements The report found that dolphins were used as performers and entertainment too often which the ministry said wasn’t in line with the education role that the park is supposed to serve The Dolfinarium has been suffering from heavy financial losses owing to the pandemic but claims it wants to invest in the future It has said that it will not completely abolish the shows but instead focus on the animals’ natural behaviour After a recommendation from the ministry’s report the Dolfinarium will also be transferring two walruses eight bottlenose dolphins and two California sea lions to a marine zoo in China This is due to unsuitable living conditions as the animals couldn’t dive deep enough in their obsolete enclosures The report did not mention a ban on dolphin breeding in the Netherlands, unlike many countries that already have such legislation in place. The Dolfinarium, which has been operating since 1965, had already stopped the artificial insemination of dolphins in 2016, following secretly recorded footage by investigative programme RamBam that showed a worker manually stimulating a dolphin to produce semen. The last dolphin in the marine park was born in 2017. The Dolfinarium’s manager, Alex Tiebot, told NOS that they had enough dolphins at the park, but added: “We may start the breeding programme up again in the future.” World Animal Protection is calling for MPs to impose the ban on dolphin breeding and has submitted a petition for the same: “A dolphin born today could live for over fifty years in captivity. That is unacceptable.” There’s a growing hunger for plant-based knowledge which is currently underserved by mainstream media. So here we are. Collated on The Vegan Review are stories from all aspects of the lifestyle; political perception, fashion, food, travel and business. Morgan was found underweight and malnourished in the Wadden Sea The park was issued a "rehabilitation and release permit" and hurried to capture and move her to their commercial facility Morgan was shipped to Loro Parque in Spain to be part of SeaWorld's breeding program How could the European and Dutch law fail Morgan and allow for this capture and move For a successful release, the dolphinarium stated it was imperative that Morgans family be found. However, not only did they not actively search for her family, the Free Morgan Foundation stated the Dutch amusement park was actually hindering efforts to find Morgans family: In a statement emailed to ZoutWater in January of this year, the dolphinarium says: Apparently, the dolphinarium would only release Morgan if success was guaranteed without ever giving the animals a chance, completely ignoring the detailed release plan that considered all possible outcomes and provided solutions for those scenarios They knew nothing about Morgan or her pod when they promised to release her in order to obtain the permit; they actively hindered those searching for her family and when the time came to release her, they decided a collection of mostly hybrid orcas bred by SeaWorld would provide a closer family for Morgan than her located P-pod relatives pods have the choice to adopt a lone orca; in captivity they're simply stuck in a tank together How is it a commercial theme park is allowed to act as a non-profit rescue organization and can legally ship wild animals to another theme park Because under the Dutch (and EU) Zoo Directive law the parks are not considered theme parks but zoos and as such are not considered to be primarily commercial The permit to ship Morgan to Loro Parque was issued because the law states both parks are educational facilities and Morgan would therefor not primarily be used for commercial purposes but rather for education and research Morgan is used for shows and funded research to proof activists wrong and the behavior of the animals is completely natural There is nothing natural about a collection of mostly hybrid breeding orcas led by a matriarch (Kohana) who doesn't know how to lead a pod because she never had a chance to learn Kohana is only 12-years old; wild orcas usually don't have calves until they're around 17 18-years old and would not be leading a pod at such a young age or be separated from their mother and "birth-pod." simply because the law states their activities are not primarily commercial - even if Bos with additional reporting by BosNewsLife Senior Correspondent Johan Th HARDERWIJK, NETHERLANDS (BosNewsLife)– Ben Hoekendijk the Dutch evangelist who became the face of the Netherlands’ post-war Pentecostal movement who was in frail health after suffering a stroke died last week in his hometown of Harderwijk “He will be remembered as a passionate and strong evangelist,” said preacher Kees Goedhart who knew him well “He was one of the best evangelists in the Netherlands,” Goedhart told reporters Born in a dynasty of preachers and missionaries Hoekendijk became known for his evangelistic rallies and studies that emphasized the work of the Holy Spirit he reportedly used money received for his wedding to launch evangelism tent campaigns he was the initiator of famed Pentecostal conferences organized by his ‘Stichting Opwekking,’ or ‘Revival Foundation.’ He launched the foundation with his then-wife Wiesje Hijink and brother-in-law and sister Peter and Else Vlug for evangelism and encouraging churches and Christians Its annual Pentecostal meetings attended by hundreds of people in the 1970s have grown into massive conferences visited by up to 75,000 Christians last year The foundation also published ‘revival’ songbooks used by many churches Hoekendijk worked closely with famed preachers such as late evangelist Billy Graham In 1974 he spoke at the charismatic World Conference in Jerusalem and at Graham’s Eurofest crusade in Brussels Hoekendijk also preached the Gospel in the Caribbean and to mostly young people at ‘One Way Day’ rallies in both the Netherlands and neighboring Belgium He also authored numerous books translated in several languages such as “Twelve Jews find the Messiah.” Hoekendijk withdrew from his massive evangelism activities and Revival Foundation after he admitted to having had extramarital affairs He had reportedly asked “forgiveness and counseling” from a group of church leaders he trusted But details of what he called his “immorality during some travels” were soon leaked to the public The troubles eventually led to a divorce with his wife He extensively wrote about his sailing trips over the North Sea and 13 months solo over the Atlantic Ocean to Spitsbergen Hoekendijk was knighted by the Dutch Queen Beatrix for his years of merit in evangelism and sailing Although there had been tensions between Ben Hoekendijk and his sister and brother-in-law Ties between the preacher and his former wife were also restored His sister and co-founder of the Revival Foundation The Revival Foundation said in a statement that “Although there may have been controversies in the history of the foundation we are grateful for the life of Ben Hoekendijk the Netherlands has been blessed with an organization that led many people to God and to know the power of the Holy Spirit.” Marine Connection has been monitoring any possible move of eight captive dolphins from Dolfinarium Harderwijk in the Netherlands to a facility in China Due to concerns over the ongoing welfare and care of the marine mammals if they are to be relocated to Hainan Ocean Paradise in China requesting further information from Dolfinarium Harderwijk about the facility in China The Minister has said before any move will be considered the Chinese facility must be in line with the standards that the dolphins currently have at Harderwijk Based on the information that Harderwijk has supplied so far Mr Adema is not convinced they would be and until then inspectors from the ministry visited Dolfinarium Harderwijk Questions were raised about the performances the animals were trained to participate in particularly photo opportunities with the dolphins Dolfinarium Harderwijk has over 20 dolphins AMSTERDAM — A Dutch court ruled Monday that a dolphin park that rescued a young killer whale named "Morgan" in 2010 can send it to a Spanish amusement park. The ruling dashes the hopes of conservationists who wanted to reintroduce the animal — also known as an orca — into the wild in its native waters off the coast of Norway. In a written ruling, Judge M. de Rooij said chances of the female whale surviving in the wild were "too unsure." "Morgan can be transferred to Loro Parque for study and education to benefit the protection or maintenance of the species," she said. A panel of experts assembled by the commercial dolphinarium in Harderwijk, Netherlands, where Morgan is currently living, argued that releasing the highly social animal would be tantamount to a "death sentence" unless she could be returned to her native pod, or family. They said she would be better off at Loro Parque on Spain's Tenerife island, which has four other orcas. Opposing experts for the "Free Morgan" group said the dolphinarium was guided by financial interests, rather than concern for the animal's well-being, and that they will continue to seek Morgan's release. "It's disgusting," marine biologist Ingrid Visser said of the decision. Visser, who traveled from New Zealand for the ruling, had also laid the groundwork to prepare Morgan for release in the Norwegian town of Stoe. "We are very satisfied with today's ruling, which is what's best for Morgan," said dolphinarium spokesman Bert van Plateringen. He said the cost of the rescue, upkeep and transfer of Morgan would be "upward of a million euros" (dollars) and that the dolphinarium would not profit from having had her. He said the transfer would take place within several days. Morgan was found starving and weak in shallow North Sea water off the Dutch coast in June 2010. She was estimated to be about 2 years old, weighing just 400 kilograms (880 pounds). By July of this year she was in good health and had more than doubled her weight. International treaties prohibit the trade of killer 'whales' — which are actually classified as oceangoing dolphins — without difficult-to-obtain exemption permits. Fewer than 50 orcas are held in captivity worldwide and the bulk of them are owned by SeaWorld, a subsidiary of U.S. private equity giant BlackRock. Orcas are the largest species within the dolphin family and one of the world's most powerful predators, hunting in pods to feast on animals such as seals, sea lions and even whales. The killer whales' distinctive traits include sophisticated problem-solving and communicative abilities, and their formation of complex communities. A female capable of breeding and introducing new genes into the pool of captive orcas is worth millions of euros, Visser said. Female orcas may live as long as 80 years, giving birth five or more times once they reach maturity. "It is unfortunate that we continue to be manipulated by the power of economics over clear science and what is best for the welfare of this one individual killer whale," said French environmentalist Jean-Michel Cousteau in a reaction to the ruling. The Harderwijk Dolphinarium is owned by France's Compagnie des Alpes. Loro Parque, owned by a German businessman, received its four orcas on loan from SeaWorld. The Harderwijk Dolphinarium, which put Morgan on display after her rescue, has not disclosed financial details of her shipment to Loro Parque. Past attempts to reintroduce orcas into the wild have a mixed record at best. The most famous case is that of Keiko, the killer whale who starred in the 1993 film "Free Willy." Keiko was caught at age 2 near Iceland and spent many years in Mexico City. After 20 years in various marine parks, he was flown back to Iceland and released under lengthy supervision. He died in 2003 at age 26, apparently of pneumonia, after surviving two months on his own and swimming about 870 miles (1,400 kilometers) to Norway. The most successful release was that of a young orca called "Springer," which had a story somewhat similar to that of Morgan. Springer was found off the coast of Washington state in early 2002 and successfully reintroduced to her pod in British Columbia, Canada, later the same year. Experts agree that the less time the animals are exposed to humans and the quicker they are reunited with family or relatives — identified by their vocalizations — the better their chances of survival. Visser said Morgan's chances are waning, but possibly still as much as "80 percent" with the proper care. She said in any case it was worth the risk to spare Morgan what Visser said would be a miserable life in captivity, forced to perform in daily public shows. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, is currently pursuing a long-shot court case in the United States that equates orcas with people and says their working conditions violate the 13th Amendment ban on slavery. SeaWorld says the suit is baseless. Visser said Morgan's best hopes for release now lie with Spanish courts or the Norwegian government petitioning Spain for her release. An investigation commissioned by the agriculture ministry found that the dolphins are too often used as performers and entertainment which is not in line with the educational role that the centre is supposed to have which has been sustaining heavy losses because of the coronavirus crisis said it will not be abolishing the shows altogether but will now concentrate more on the animals’ natural behaviour eight bottle nose dolphins and two sea lions to a marine zoo in China because of subpar living conditions The animals were kept in tanks too shallow to dive to the depths they are used to Animal welfare organisation World Animal Protection Nederland said there is no guarantee that the animals will not be used for entertainment in China. ‘Children are being taught that it is fine to use wild animals for entertainment,‘ a spokesperson for the organisation told broadcaster NOS A ban on breeding was not among the report’s recommendations. The park had already stopped the artificial insemination of dolphins following a broadcast in 2016 by investigative programme RamBam showing secretly recorded footage of a worker manually stimulating a dolphin to produce semen. ‘We have enough dolphins at the moment, but we may start the breeding programme up again in the future,’ manager of the Dolfinarium Alex Tiebot told the broadcaster. World Animal Protection wants MPs to press for a ban on breeding and are setting up a petition. ‘A dolphin born today could live for over fifty years in captivity. That is unacceptable,’ the organisation said. We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day. Many thanks to everyone who has donated to DutchNews.nl in recent days! We could not provide this service without you. If you have not yet made a contribution, you can do so here. Please help us making DutchNews.nl a better read by taking part in a short survey. the parks are not considered theme parks but zoos and as such are not considered as primarily commercial Morgan is used for shows and funded research to proof activists wrong and the behavior is completely natural led by a matriarch (Kohana) that doesn't know how to lead a pod because she never learned Kohana is only 12-years old (she'll be 13 on May 3); wild orcas usually don't have calves until they're around 17 18-years old and would not be leading a pod at such a young age 2024 Photo: Depositphotos.comFarm minister Piet Adema has blocked the move of eight dolphins from the Harderwijk marine zoo to China saying he is not convinced that their welfare will be assured The Dolfinarium planned to send the dolphins to the Hainan Ocean Paradise in China but has not yet shown that “keeping, housing and caring for the animals in China is in line with the standards we set Dutch zoos,” the minister is quoted as saying by the AD “On the basis of the information the park has supplied so far The minister has given the Dolfinarium a second chance to supply more information but “until then There was a storm of protest three years ago when the zoo said it wanted to sell eight dolphins and MPs overwhelmingly backed a motion against the deal In particular they were angry that the sea mammals would have to perform tricks in China said in April 2021 it was transferring the animals to a new home because of subpar living conditions in the Netherlands The decision was part of a general shake up following the publication of a report by government inspectors which questioned the performances the animals were trained to take part in, the tanks they lived in and the interaction with the public, in particular the photo opportunities with dolphins and sea lions. Several years ago the Dolfinarium and government were mired in controversy over the sale of an orca which was found in a severely weakened state in the Wadden Sea. The whale, known as Morgan, was sent to the Dolfinarium in Harderwijk to recover. The then-junior economic affairs minister Henk Bleker, who was responsible for Morgan, decided she could not be returned to the wild and she was sold to the Loro Parque amusement park in Spain instead. The original European CITES certificate approving the transfer stated that Morgan would be used for research purposes only. However, the orca has since become part of a show of performing animals and is being used to breed, both of which are in breach of the export licence. The Dolfinarium in Harderwijk have to change their shows with dolphins, walruses, and seals, or risk a fine of up to 10,000 euros. The marine mammal park has to have altered the shows by April 11 at the latest, The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) has said. The animals are currently forced to exhibit unnatural behavior, the RVO has said, and they find this unacceptable. During their investigation, the RVO pointed out several examples of unnatural behavior from the animals. The government service named 20 examples of offenses, like dolphins who have to jump over trainers, a walrus that "blobs" its fat on command, or seals who are waving at visitors using their flippers. Animal rights organization Bite Back submitted an enforcement request to the RVO and made video footage of the offenses. “Several of the offenses are literally described as forbidden in the regulations,” a spokesperson for the organization said. The RVO also pointed this out in the document addressed to the Dolfinarium. For every offense that occurs after the deadline of April 11, the Dolfinarium will have to pay a fine of 2,000 euros. This can rise up to 10,000 euros. The Dolfinarium disagrees with the decision, and is objecting to the penalty order. “The RVO has now, based on footage supplied by a third party, given a different interpretation to certain aspects of our presentations,” Dolfinarium director Alex Tiebot said. “This footage shows fragments of our shows but misses the complete educational context that this takes place in.” He believes that the park has implemented many changes in recent years and is adhering to past agreements. The director added that the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) said during an inspection in May that they saw no evidence of unnatural behavior. However, the RVO pointed out that the video footage shows otherwise. “The fact that this is not the case during every performance or is not the case every day does not detract from this." © 2012-2025, NL Times, All rights reserved. The rainbow crosswalk in Hardewijk was vandalized. A seemingly religious message was found spray painted on the crossing on Wednesday morning. "Sodom and Gomorrah are still there as a warning example", the text read, translated from Dutch. And: "Choose life." Martijn Pijnenburg, D66 leader in Hardewijk, posted photos of the vandalism on Twitter "The rainbow crosswalk in Hardewijk smeared with religious insanity", he tweeted. "In one word: disgusting." The municipality removed the text later on Wednesday morning. The rainbow crossing was painted in November last year, at the initiative of Menno Doppenberg, VVD city councilor in Hardewijk-Hierden, De Stentor reports. The intent behind the crossing is to show that Hardewijk welcomes everyone, regardless of religion, origin or sexual preference. Doppenberg called the vandalism "very childish", speaking to the newspaper. "It is very annoying that the symbol of 'everyone is welcome' is vandalized", he said. "But especially for the Christian LGBT people, who already find it difficult to come out of the closet, something like this can make it even more difficult to talk about.." Whether or not the vandalism has anything to do with religion, remains to be seen, Doppenberg said. "It can also just be someone who wants to stir up unrest." He hopes that the perpetrator or perpetrators will be caught. Photo: Emanuele Santerelli via inaturalist.orgA rare species of big-eyed bug has been spotted in the Netherlands for the first time in 122 years – days before it died noticed a miniature insect with its distinctive bulging eyes while out catching spiders in Kootwijkerzand “There are always things to find in the undergrowth,” said Sies “And I often catch other things like bettles and bugs This time I saw a tiny bug crawling around He caught my eye because he had a bigger head.” After he submitted photos with a macro lens camera to nature observation site waarneming.nl it was confirmed to be Geocoris megacephalus which was last recorded in the Netherlands in 1902 But when Sies went back to the site where he left the creature “I put it in a box with some grit,” he told Omroep Gelderland. “When I heard it was a rare species, I went looking for it again. Then I saw it lying dead in the grit.” Sies said he had preserved the insect’s body in alcohol. “I don’t know if anybody wants it. I’ve often found spiders that end up at Naturalis [natural history museum] in Leiden,” he said. “And sometimes I keep them for myself.” The fish, which had been placed in a separate tank to protect it from being eaten by its mother, was not strong enough to survive, officials told the Telegraaf. The zoo is carrying out dna research on the dead fish in an effort to establish if its mother did indeed give birth through parthogenesis, a survival strategy where females give birth without fertilisation by a male taking place. It is seven years since the male ray died. The Police have arrested seven suspects in a large-scale investigation into human trafficking and sexual exploitation, with South American women as the victims. Five men and two women were arrested. The suspects' ages vary from 26 to 45 years old. They are from The Hague, Harderwijk, Wassenaar, and Putten, said the Public Prosecution Service (OM). According to the Public Prosecution Service, this was a so-called prostitution carousel in which women were constantly moved and had to work somewhere else each time. These crimes took place in the period of March 1 up to November 26, 2024. Police were alerted to the suspects after two sex workers had reported them. They told the municipal prostitution team in Wormer, Noord-Holland, that they were being mistreated by their pimp, the OM said. The investigation gained speed in May after a report came in of a break-in at a holiday park in Gelderland. Police found three undocumented women there who were working in prostitution. Officers found identification belonging to the pimp at the home along with items that point towards sex work. The suspects were arrested at the end of November in holiday homes in Noordwijk and Biddinghuizen. Police also found six South American women at the home. Several of these women admitted to working as prostitutes. Prosecutors see a 31-year-old man from The Hague as the leading suspect. According to the authorities, he recruits women from South America to come and work for him and makes agreements about profit distribution. Two other suspects, a 30-year-old man from Colombia and a 26-year-old man from Harderwijk, are considered accomplices by the OM, they allegedly arranged transport and housing for the women and managed the client base and payments. The other four suspects, a 45-year-old woman from Wassenaar, a 31-year-old woman without a fixed abode or residence, a 32-year-old man from The Hague, and a 33-year-old man from Putten, also played a facilitating role in the human trafficking of the women, according to the OM. According to the Public Prosecution Service, the women were forced to work long hours every day for seven days a week, in which sexual acts had to be performed. They were moved to a different city every week. The women were forced to hand over any additional money they had earned. This was done through threats to them or their family. The human dignity and physical integrity of the women have been systematically violated, the prosecutors believe. The investigation into the case is still ongoing, according to the Public Prosecution Service, and further arrests are not ruled out. Sacha Chang had been hiding in nearby woods near the village of Montaldo di Mondovi, where he had been staying with his father and the owner of the house who was a friend of the family. On Wednesday a row reportedly broke out between the man and his 65-year-old father. Chang then attacked him with a knife. When family friend Bert ter Horst, tried to intervene he was stabbed as well. He later died of his injuries in hospital. Police warned locals the Dutchmen was considered “extremely dangerous” and reportedly suffering from psychological problems. According to Dutch media, 21-year-old Chang worked at a primary school in Amsterdam while 60-year old Bert ter Horst was a family doctor in Harderwijk. Photo: ANP/HH/Patrick HarderwijkNOS correspondent Iris de Graaf Photo: ANP/HH/Patrick HarderwijkPublic broadcaster NOS has withdrawn its Moscow correspondent Iris de Graaf from Russia because of concerns about her personal safety De Graaf, 32, has worked in Russia since 2020, but in recent months interference by Russia’s security services had made her work increasingly difficult, NOS head of news Giselle van Cann said The conviction of two Russian military officers and one Ukrainian associate by a Dutch court for shooting down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014 and the issue of an arrest warrant for Russian president Vladimir Putin by the International Criminal Court have further soured relations between Russia and the Netherlands Western journalists have become a target for Russian authorities since the invasion of Ukraine began concerns that were heightened when Washington Post reporter Evan Gershkovich was arrested on March 29 and detained on spying charges Van Cann said: ‘The conclusion is that the situation for Iris as the most visible Dutch correspondent in Moscow is too unpredictable for us to be able to assess the risks adequately.’ De Graaf will continue to cover Russian affairs from the Netherlands Freelance Russia-based correspondent Geert Groot Koerkamp will remain in the country The broadcaster said it ‘deeply regretted’ the fact that its direct coverage would be limited as a result De Graaf told talk show Op1 in March that she was on constant alert when living and working in Moscow because that can be an administrative offence and if you get two of those you can be expelled from the country,’ she said Broadcaster RTL has dropped its flagship talent show The Voice of Holland which has become embroiled in a major scandal about sexual abuse and the abuse of power Main sponsor T-Mobile has also pulled out of its deal with the programme following claims that at least one key member of team was involved in putting sexual pressure on women in the show The scandal was broken by YouTube programme Boos (angry) which is run by public broadcasting company BNNVARA It says that several women claim they have been the victims of sexual misconduct during their time with the show the Boos editorial team were told about apparent inappropriate sexual behaviour on the set of The Voice of Holland,’ BNNVARA said in a statement ‘Presenter Tim Hofman then appealed for people who had unacceptable experiences on talent shows We received many reactions from people who said they were victims of or had witnessed sexually unacceptable behaviour on The Voice They concern Jeroen Rietbergen and several others involved in the programme.’ Rietbergen, the show’s band leader, has now publicly admitted he had ‘sexual contact’ with women who were involved in the show several years ago Rietbergen is the partner of television presenter Linda de Mol owner of television company Talpa which devised The Voice and used to produce it Rietbergen also admitted having been warned about his behaviour several years ago Rapper and show talent coach Ali B has also been accused of sexually inappropriate behaviour and one woman has made a formal police complaint against him It is not yet clear if he will face any charges B said on Instagram: ‘this is an accusation about something which is supposed to have happened years ago I cannot defend myself but the damage has already been done.’ RTL and current production company ITV have brought in a team of outside experts to investigate the claims who was with the programme since the first season in 2010 said he had no idea about the allegations and that he was in shock called for no stone to be left unturned in an effort to get to truth And on Sunday evening, rock singer Anouk quit as one of the show’s talent coaches. ‘I do not want to work in a place where men can abuse their position and where they have been deliberately chosen to keep things quiet and look the other way,’ Anouk said in a video statement The Boos programme will be broadcast on YouTube on Thursday. Hofman told the Telegraaf that RTL had decided to pull The Voice following Rietbergen’s confession and before the programme making the claims could be broadcast. Photo: Patrick Harderwijk ANPThe Northern Lights were visible over much of the Netherlands on Friday night and could again be visible on Saturday Dozens of people shared their photographs of the aerial phenomenon on social media The lights can rarely be seen so far south but could be observed across the country and much of Europe because of a massive solar storm are created when energised particles from the sun slam into the Earth’s upper atmosphere at extremely high speeds The Earth’s magnetic field redirects them to the North and South Pole 🌌 Wát een bizarre nacht! Urenlang dansend #noorderlicht boven ons hoofd… en dat in eigen land. We wisten wel dat er een goede kans zou komen, maar dit sloeg nergens meer op. Hier alvast enkele beelden van mijn cameraschermpje 👇 #aurora pic.twitter.com/SC9JrMg8fp — Wouter van Bernebeek (@StormchaserNL) May 11, 2024 #noorderlicht #monnickendam – mijn eerste Noorderlicht en wat een fantastisch schouwspel – klap op de vuurpijl was een vallende ster! pic.twitter.com/DnVFYf204n — Das Fijn (@Das_Fijn) May 11, 2024 Experts suggest finding a location with minimal light pollution and looking north after 11 pm for the best sightings of the aurora borealis on Saturday night Some cloud is forecast for the south of the country on Saturday evening but the skies of Drenthe and Groningen will be clear Tesla announced this week at Investor Day that they had just started construction of their first V4 Supercharger in Europe The location of the V4 Supercharger wasn’t announced but it has now been discovered in the Netherlands The new V4 Supercharger is located in Harderwijk and was discovered by YouTuber electricfelix who happened to come upon it while crews were in the process of installing one of the massive pedestals Three other V4 pedestals had already been installed but were covered up but as we expected this new hardware is significantly taller than the current V3 Superchargers Several people were standing around the uncovered pedestal and it towers above all of them the tallest of which appear to be around 6ft tall Based on the construction it appears as though this will be a large 16 stall installation The added benefit of this new design is that the charging cable is also longer as it now exits from the pedestal on the outside of the cabinet instead of on the inside like the current generation of Supercharger much like the Megachargers that have been installed for the Tesla Semi Here is the video of the V4 Supercharger under construction BC Hydro applies for time-of-use rates to support electrification Tesla sales in China grow to 74,402 units in February Founder and Editor-in-chief of Drive Tesla Canada | Darryn@DriveTeslaCanada.ca Tesla once again adjusted the prices of some of their vehicles in the US last night increasing the Model 3 by as much as $1,000 We have known that Tesla is testing their Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta software with employees in Canada for most of the year Now it appears they are also testing in Europe we have seen many Superchargers go online in central and eastern Canada we have a new Tesla Supercharger being installed on the […] Enter your email address to subscribe to Drive Tesla and receive notifications of new articles by email who is credited with changing the Dutch attitude towards interior design He had been suffering from prostate cancer for a number of years studied at the Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam and then set up as an independent furniture maker In 1969 he designed the Kubusbank (cube sofa) which brought him his first big success The sofa became part of the Stedelijk Museum’s collection in 2004 His most famous contribution to Dutch homes was to make them light and airy was replaced by his signature white furniture ‘I was born in a little room above a shop with no windows I have always sought the light,’ he said about his preference Des Bouvrie, who also gained popularity through his own television shows and relentless self-promotion in the 1990s, said his designs were ‘for rich and poor’ but it was his work for the well-heeled in their Wassenaar villas which made him the very rich man he always proclaimed to be. A spat with the tax office was settled out of court. ‘I don’t do black’, he said at the time. A trip to his shop and restaurant Het Arsenaal in Naarden, a former military building from the 17th century, quickly became a favourite Sunday outing for those with deep pockets. De Bouvrie designer said he did not see himself as an artists but as a craftsman. ‘I am not in the business of making sofas you can’t sit on’, he said. Photo: Patrick Harderwijk HHDemonstrators in Alkmaar Photo: Patrick Harderwijk HHThousands of anti-racism demonstrators took part in protests in Leiden as the Black Lives Matter movement continues its spread across the Netherlands some 2,500 people took part in the rally and in Almere the demonstration had to be moved to a new location because so many people turned up In Alkmaar between 750 and 1,000 people attended In Deventer, the mayor invoked his emergency powers after reports that right-wing gangs were planning to break up the demonstration, but in the end the event passed off peacefully, local broadcaster RTV Oost said police broke up a demonstration of around 350 people who had gathered on the Plein by parliament carrying placards stating ‘100% anti antifa’ and ‘all lives matter’ The demonstration was ended because the protestors were not keeping to the 1.5 metre social distancing rule, local broadcaster Omroep West said. 2021 Photo: Patrick Harderwijk ANP / Hollandse HoogtePhoto: Patrick Harderwijk ANP / Hollandse HoogteDutch rapper and television presenter Ali B has been mugged by armed robbers close to his home in Almere Ali B said in a video on Instagram he was with his driver at the time and that he had given the robbers what they wanted According to Omroep Flevoland the robbers were after B’s Rolex watch The police report on the incident says the gang may have had guns There have been a number of attacks on Dutch celebrities in recent years. Last year, YouTube star and makeup artist Nikkie de Jager was tied up at her home and robbed Singer Gordon was also attacked and robbed in his home Rap artist Lil’ Kleine (27) will appear in court on Wednesday to hear if he will be remanded in custody over a charge of attempted aggravated assault was arrested at the weekend following a police report of the assault thought to be on his girlfriend Jaime Vaes Images circulated on social media show Scholten dragging a woman out of a car by her hair and trapping her head in the car door but it is not clear if Scholten was arrested for this or another instance of abuse The arrest happened two days after the rapper was sentenced to 120 hours of community service for kicking a man at a nightclub Scholten was also arrested in Ibiza in May last year for the alleged abuse of his girlfriend but Vaes did not pursue the case at the time Management company Namam, which represents both Scholten and sometime presenter Vaes, has said it may not continue to represent Scholten.  But ‘if we do it will be under strict conditions’, the AD quotes Namam as saying Vaes has since shared a video on Instagram featuring herself