Colourful professions in a dynamic zoo
Friday, 31 May 2024
A zoo is an exciting organisation. We need to provide high-quality care to a wide variety of animals and plants and ensure a safe and pleasant working environment for employees. Some of our departments have nothing to do with the living collection but instead work on the business side or in retail or hospitality, for example. The result is that the range of occupations at Burgers' Zoo is almost as colourful and diverse as our animal and plant collection. In this issue, we would like to introduce you to the work of our PR and Communications Officer, Bas Lukkenaar.
We met with Bas Lukkenaar (44) in a period pleasantly bustling with press events: “In a very short time, a sun bear has been transported to France, a giraffe was born just before the weekend, and we will be presenting our young zebra shark on Thursday,” he says enthusiastically. “We always try to link press releases about current events to a larger backstory. For example, the relocation of the sun bear is a trigger which can be linked to our contribution to the European population management programme for the species. That contribution is crucial, as there are very few sun bears in Europe and not many cubs are born.”
Bas was born in Vught in Brabant, grew up in Best from the age of four and moved to Arnhem to work at Burgers' Zoo in 2004. In September 2024, he will have worked here for twenty years. After attending grammar school in Boxtel, he studied Text and Communication in Tilburg for two years at the then Katholieke Universiteit Brabant, followed by four years of International Tourism Management and Consultancy at the then NHTV in Breda. “I have always had a keen interest in animals and nature. I visited all the zoos in the Netherlands several times; Burgers' Zoo was my favourite. As a child, I solemnly told director Antoon van Hooff that I would eventually come to work in this zoo. At the time, I had no idea who I was talking to or even what I would do at Burgers’ Zoo, ha-ha!”
Bas lives with his wife and two children (8 and 10) within cycling distance of the zoo. He plays football twice a week and enjoys reading books and the newspaper. He is also a passionate PSV fan, having grown up in Eindhoven. “I am very interested in languages. Besides Latin and Greek, I studied English, German, French and Spanish. I also find Russian and Arabic very interesting.”
What do you like most about your work environment? “The team at Burgers' Zoo is filled with passionate and dedicated individuals,” says Bas without skipping a beat. “That is incredibly inspiring. I learn something from the biologists, educators, zookeepers and plant caretakers every day.” What about your department, Marketing and Communications? “We are a great team that works well together. I feel that everyone appreciates and respects each other's qualities.” Finally, what makes Burgers' Zoo different from other zoos? “I think it is extraordinary that Marketing and Communications works so closely with Education and the Biology Department. Those departments are often at odds with each other at other zoos.”
