In 2005, Winnie was the name given to a supposed big cat sighted in the Veluwe region of the Netherlands.
In 2005, Winnie was the name given to a supposed big cat sighted in the Veluwe region of the Netherlands.
At the beginning of June 2005, several sightings of a "puma" were reported to the police near Ede, Harskamp and Wekerom. Spoor was said to have been found. [1] The police closed down a large part of the Ginkelse Heide while in search of the animal in order to shoot it, as they felt that a puma could be a threat to people living in the Veluwe area. However, no trace of the animal was found. An additional search for the animal was performed by the organization Pantera, [2] but was also unsuccessful, although a further sighting was reported in September. [3]
On September 21, 2005, an analysis by biologist Gerrit Jansen of high-resolution photos taken by wildlife photographer Otto Faulhaber explained the supposed puma as being a cross-breed between a European wildcat and a typical housecat. The cat was 1.5 times as big as a normal house cat, which may have convinced those who saw it that they were looking at a species of big cat. [4] [5] [6] European wildcats do not appear in the Netherlands in great numbers, but occasionally they can be seen.
The story of Winnie inspired the Amsterdam artist Maarten de Reus to design a wire sculpture titled Kooi-met-geen-poema-er-in (Cage With No Puma in It), which was erected in a park in the Zuidbroek section of Apeldoorn. It was awarded the 2008 National Steel Prize and the 2009 National Building Prize. [7]
Phantom cats, also known as Alien Big Cats (ABCs), are large felids such as leopards, jaguars and cougars which allegedly appear in regions outside their indigenous range. Sightings, tracks and predation have been reported in a number of countries and states including Canada, Britain, Australia, Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland, Ireland, New Zealand, Finland, Denmark, the United States, Hawaii, Italy and Luxembourg.
The Oostvaardersplassen is a nature reserve in the Netherlands, which is managed by the State Forestry Service. Covering about 56 square kilometres (22 sq mi), it is noted as an experiment of rewilding. It is in a polder which was created in 1968; by 1989, its ecological interest had resulted in its being declared a Ramsar wetland. It became part of Nieuw Land National Park when it was created in 2018.
Anouk Teeuwe, professionally known by the mononym Anouk, is a Dutch singer-songwriter. After her breakthrough in 1997 with the single "Nobody's Wife", she had numerous hit singles in the Dutch and Belgian charts, such as "R U Kiddin' Me", "Michel", "Girl", "Lost", "Modern World", "Three Days in a Row", "Birds", and "Woman".
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In British folklore, British big cats, also referred to as ABCs, phantom cats and mystery cats, feature in reported sightings of large felids in the British countryside. These creatures have been described as "panthers", "pumas" or "black cats".
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The Forum for Democracy is a conservative and right-wing populist Eurosceptic political party in the Netherlands that was initially founded as a think tank by Thierry Baudet and Henk Otten in 2016. The party first participated in elections in the 2017 general election, winning two seats in the House of Representatives. In the 2019 provincial elections, it won the most seats out of any party, although 61 out of 86 representatives have defected since the election.
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The Farmer–Citizen Movement is an agrarian political party in the Netherlands. It is headquartered in Deventer, Overijssel. The current party leader is Caroline van der Plas, who founded it in 2019.
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Ramez Jorge (Ronchi) Isa was a politician of the Netherlands Antilles of Lebanese descent. Isa served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands Antilles from February 1971 until April 1971, and from November 1972 until December 1973.