Wild Animals of the Netherlands
A small, flat and crowded country — and yet full of wildlife. Seals on sandbanks, spoonbills in the marshes, beavers in the rivers and red deer in the forests. Come and meet the wild side of Holland.
Latest stories
Four articles about remarkable Dutch animals — and how you can see them yourself.
Seals of the Wadden Sea
Harbour seals and grey seals rest on the sandbanks between the Dutch islands. Their comeback is a real success story.
Read more →The Eurasian Spoonbill
A white bird with a spoon on its face. The Netherlands is its most important home in western Europe.
Read more →Beaver & Otter
Both animals disappeared from the Netherlands. Both came back. Here is how.
Read more →Wildlife Guide
The best national parks, the best seasons and tips for watching animals in the Netherlands.
Read more →Nature in a man-made country
There is a famous saying: “God created the world, but the Dutch created the Netherlands.” For centuries people built dikes, drained lakes and turned the sea into farmland. Much of the original wilderness disappeared, and many animals — the beaver, the otter, the white-tailed eagle — vanished completely.
Today the story is different. The Dutch are now building nature instead of removing it:
- New wetlands are created on old farmland and along the big rivers, giving space to water birds, beavers and fish.
- Wildlife bridges (ecoducts) help deer, badgers and wild boar cross busy motorways safely.
- A national nature network connects forests, dunes and marshes so that animals can move from one area to another.
Thanks to this work, many species have returned. In a country with more than 17 million people, you can still watch seals, eagles and deer — often only a short bike ride from the city.