The Dutch royal family has granted Mr. Jan Louwman and Mrs. Hanneke Louwman a Royal distinction, in recognition of their special services to the Dutch society and the world.
For vultures too, the Louwmans have played an outstanding role. For many years they kept and bred vultures and many other species in their breeding center in Wassenaar, and have contributed substantially to the establishment of breeding programs for various endangered species, including the bearded and black vultures. Their deep engagement in education, scientific research and the sharing of knowledge has benefited countless vulture experts and enthusiasts. Today, many of the bearded vultures existing in the VCF captive breeding network go back to founder lines of the famous Wassenaar Wildlife Breeding Centre.
Jan and Hanneke Louwman were also committed conservationists, and thus it is no surprise that Jan was a founding member of the Foundation for the Conservation of the Bearded Vulture, which later evolved into the VCF.
The VCF congratulates the Louwmans for this prestigious award and wishes them well for the future!
