The wild animals that live near the Zandvoort circuit were not affected so much by the Grand Prix that was held there last weekend. They also did not notice much of the tens of thousands of spectators. The Konik horses did have some trouble with a helicopter. That is the first impression of water company PWN, the manager of the nature reserve next to the circuit.
The Zandvoort circuit is located on the edge of the Zuid-Kennemerland National Park, an area of 3800 hectares (38 square kilometers). Students from the Van Hall-Larenstein University of Applied Sciences are conducting research into the nature around the circuit on behalf of PWN. Konik horses live in the area. They once had a “slight display of stress” from a helicopter that flew over. "The animals did not run wild, but they showed slightly different behavior," said a spokesperson for the water company.
Bison (European bison) also live in the nature reserve. They were relatively far from the circuit and therefore did not receive much from the race. Nothing is known yet about the fallow deer and Scottish highlanders.
Wind from the east
During the race weekend the wind came from the east. “The sound has not blown to the area behind the track,” said the PWN spokesperson. In addition, most animals are used to “noise from the track, for example they are used to the noise when people race old cars there”.
According to the water company, it especially helped that the race was held in September. “That has helped to limit the disturbance to animals,” says PWN. Last year's race, which was canceled due to the corona outbreak, was on the calendar for May. That is in the middle of the birds' breeding season. “For birds, that's very unfortunate timing. The area behind the circuit is really a nursery. For wildlife, the impact is much smaller when the race is held in September. That is really in the best interest of the animals.” PWN therefore hopes that the Grand Prix of the Netherlands can also be held in September in the following years
PWN is very pleased with the behavior of the spectators. “Beforehand, we were very concerned about the large numbers of people. First 110.000 people would come a day. Eventually that was scaled down to about 70.000, still an awful lot. We have closed the dunes with fences.” The vast majority of people have stayed away from the dunes. According to PWN, there were not very many violations. The people who did climb over the fences were “evicted again under supervision. Some people regretted getting caught, but it didn't lead to any incidents. The atmosphere was great.”
Also read: Environmentally friendly Dutch Grand Prix for many fans
