Lenie 't Hart (born Leentje Godlieb) (born September 16, 1941 in
Farmsum
Farmsum (; ) is a village in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is a part of the municipality of Eemsdelta.
History
The village was first mentioned in the 10th or 11th century as "de Fretmarashem", and means "settlement of Fretmar". Farmsum w ...
) is a Dutch animal caretaker and
animal rights
Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have Moral patienthood, moral worth independent of their Utilitarianism, utility to humans, and that their most basic interests—such as ...
activist. In 1971, she founded the
Seal Rehabilitation and Research Centre in
Pieterburen
Pieterburen is a village in the northeastern Netherlands, located in the municipality of Het Hogeland, Groningen.
History
Around 1300, a dike was built north of the present village. During the 14th century, a settlement appeared on a mudflat o ...
,
Groningen
Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...
but was forced to leave when her strong opposition to new, scientifically-based policies about seal care put her at odds with the centre's staff as well as the government.
Seal rescue
't Hart started in 1971 with one lost seal in a tub in her own back-garden. In the beginning the care was only for seal puppies who had lost their mother, the "howlers", as a young seal pup can not survive without his mother.
In 2014 the people working at the Seal Rehabilitation Centre forced 't Hart to stop her activities at the centre, as she wouldn't accept the new scientifically based policy on treating injured seals and intervened too much with the people working there.
Throughout her life in relation to the rehabilitation of seals Lenie provided much valuable support and advice to a multitude of Seal Rescue facilities throughout our planet and without her vision many seals would not have survived.
In the proceeding years after she left the Zeehondencreche Lenie and her colleagues have been subject in several investigations by the Dutch authorities for continuing to rehabilitate seals.
Hoger beroep in zaak illegale zeehondopvang
Omrop Fryslân 26 October 2015
Sources
External links
*
1941 births
Living people
Animal sanctuary keepers
Dutch women activists
Dutch activists
People from Delfzijl
{{Netherlands-bio-stub