Tanja the hippo returns to ARTIS this fall
- 1 July 2025
On 25 December 2009, ARTIS lost one of its most iconic residents: Tanja the hippo. On this day, hundreds of visitors gathered to say goodbye to the animal that had won such a special place in their hearts.
An exhibition on our connection with animals
A special return to ARTIS-Groote Museum
This fall, Tanja returns for the second time, this time as part of a new exhibition In ARTIS-Groote Museum. The exhibition gives visitors the chance to see Tanja again and invites us to think now about our connection to everything that lives.
Recent news
Dutch wildlife veterinarian Martine van Zijll Langhout launches expanded English edition of Lessons from the Wild
23 September 2026 • ARTIS Zoo
Dutch wildlife veterinarian and ARTIS veterinarian Martine van Zijll Langhout will launch Lessons from the Wild, the expanded English-language edition of her Dutch bestseller Over Leven in het Wild, on Thursday 24 September at the ARTIS Groote Museum in Amsterdam. Princess Irene of the Netherlands, who has long championed a deeper connection between people and nature, will receive the first copy.
ARTIS and the Rijksmuseum reveal the invisible life on The Night Watch
10 September 2026 • ARTIS-Micropia
What lives on The Night Watch? ARTIS and the Rijksmuseum are joining forces to reveal the invisible life found on The Night Watch. From 11 November, the installation The Night Watch Lives will be on display at ARTIS-Micropia. Centred around a life-size reproduction of Rembrandt’s The Night Watch, the installation reveals which microorganisms live on the painting.
African penguins get a new home at ARTIS
07 August 2026 • ARTIS Zoo
After almost 70 years, the African penguins are getting a new home. The sea lion exhibit will be transformed into a varied penguin habitat with deep water, plenty of nesting sites and underwater windows where visitors can watch the birds ‘fly’ through the water.