[1] Apenheul Primate Park was conceptualised by photographer Wim Mager in the 1960s, when it was legal for private citizens to own monkeys.

Mager, who himself had several monkeys as pets, believed both humans and primates would benefit from housing the animals in a more natural forest-like environment.

It is located in the nature park of Berg en Bos (Mountain and Wood) and proved popular with visitors and primatologists alike, leading to subsequent expansions.

A major setback occurred in 1981 when the cabin in which Apenheul Primate Park burned to the ground, killing 46 monkeys.

Two remained in Apenheul until early 2015 when Bagik, the last of the three original males, died due to a twisted large intestine.