Red deer stag in De Hoge Veluwe National Park, Netherlands
© CreativeNature_nl/Getty Image
Red deer stag in De Hoge Veluwe National Park, Netherlands
Picture 55 square kilometres of open land, wildlife on the move and a stag flaunting its crown of antlers. In 1909, husband and wife Anton Kröller and Helene Kröller-Müller began building a private estate in Gelderland, Netherlands—what we now know as De Hoge Veluwe National Park. Their vision? To merge art and nature. They brought it to life by placing artwork within the landscape, like 'Three Upright Motives' by English sculptor Henry Moore in the Pampelse Zand and the President Steyn stone bench by Belgian architect Henry van de Velde, among others.
Today, the park's forests, woodlands, sand dunes and heathlands shelter wild boar, roe deer, mouflon, wolves and countless birds. Yet red deer stags steal the show. Adult males weigh 160 to 240 kilograms and stand about 95 to 130 centimetres at the shoulder. They graze on grass, leaves and shoots, but also won't say no to fruit or acorns. During the rut, stags display their antlers and bellow to claim territory. They may not travel far, but their search for food and mates keeps the park alive with movement.
Related Images
Bing Today Images
Sandhill cranes taking flight over the Platte River near Kearney, Nebraska
Firefall at Horsetail Fall, Yosemite National Park, California
Sunset at Counts Point in West MacDonnell Ranges, Northern Territory, Australia
Canberra’s National Carillon at dawn
Dawn in the vineyards near Margaret River, Australia
Winter at the Isis Temple in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Paepalanthus flowers at sunset, Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park, Brazil
Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, China