The Mammoth of Dendermonde

A crate of beer. That’s what it took to convince Hugo De Potter, a crane operator, to help retrieve a giant mammoth skull from a sand quarry in Dendermonde in the late 1960s. Today, that skull completes the mounted mammoth at the Vleeshuis Museum in Dendermonde.

The Dendermonde mammoth isn’t the only piece of animal heritage in Flanders. Countless museums and scientific institutions have extensive collections of animal remains that they display and study. These remains don’t even have to be from extinct species. For example, the AfricaMuseum boasts a stuffed elephant. In Bokrijk, on the other hand, live farm animals are part of the museum’s scenery.

Admire the enormous mammoth skeleton at the Dendermonde Vleeshuis. But other museums, such as the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in Brussels and the AfricaMuseum in Tervuren, have impressive collections of taxidermy.

Animals also hold cultural heritage value in other ways. They play a crucial role in many intangible traditions: finch-setting in West and East Flanders, the dog swim in Sint-Baafs-Vijve, the horse race at Waregem Koerse... Although these sometimes centuries-old traditions are increasingly being adapted into more animal-friendly forms—often following protests by animal rights organizations. For example, since 2026, Geraardsbergen has replaced the drinking of live fish during the Krakelingenfeest with an alternative.

Many animal breeds were historically of great economic importance, but this is no longer the case today. For many tasks, we no longer use animals, or we use different breeds instead. As a result, these animal breeds are at risk of disappearing—something that heritage organizations are trying to prevent.

A farming family on a cart pulled by a team of draft dogs, circa 1900 - © CAG, Belfius Bank Postcard Collection, Académie Royale de Belgique - cagnet.be

For example, around 1900 there were as many as 150,000 draft horses in Belgium, which were used to haul carts carrying milk and other products.

Galloway cattle graze in many Belgian nature parks - © Natuurpunt - natuurpunt.be, photo by Wim Dirckx

The Bokrijk Museum Farm in Genk is home to dozens of historic animal breeds.

After World War II, motorized vehicles took over their role. Today, organizations such as the Center for Agricultural History tell the story of these vanished draft animals. The non-profit organization De Belgische Mastiff is attempting to reintroduce the extinct Belgian draft dog through breeding.

The Living Heritage Center is dedicated to preserving local breeds and tells the story of dozens of species threatened with extinction. There are also organizations that focus on a single species or breed, such as the non-profit organization The Belgian Mastiff.

Finally, there are also animals that help preserve cultural heritage. Cattle and sheep graze on cultural landscapes such as the heathlands of the Kempen to restore or preserve their historic appearance. Trained birds of prey rid churches and other monuments of pigeons that leave behind kilos of acidic droppings everywhere. Animals can therefore also cause damage to heritage. For example, woodworms eat their way through a great deal of immovable heritage.

Natuurpunt has about ten areas where you can walk among grazing animals.

This story was created by Geheugen Collectief for FAAM – Virtual Museum.