My name is Dr. Tim Huijsmans. I’m a wildlife researcher and veterinarian. I wrote a PhD on maternal investment strategies in mammals at the University of Ghent. In 2012 I co-founded Faunawatch, an international operating animal welfare and conservation foundation. We are researching animal populations in multiple countries, giving education and have a turtle and tortoise shelter in the Netherlands.

Wildlife (artificial) reproduction, rehabilitation of wildlife, and solutions for invasive species are my main interests.

My story

When I was 8 I saw Jane Goodalls’ documentary on chimpanzees and read a story about the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya about a rescued baby elephant with a spear in his head. After these two events, I decided that I wanted to start a chimpanzee and elephant sanctuaries. I reached out to several sanctuaries and asked them what I should study to work in such a shelter and they advised me to become a wildlife veterinarian. That is how my dream to become a wildlife veterinarian started at 8 years of age.

As it was still a long way to go before I could start with my veterinary study, I decided to join a rescue centre for local wildlife, pets, farm animals, and exotic animals, the closest thing I had to an elephant and chimpanzee sanctuary in my neighbourhood. At that time I was 12 years old. There, I mainly worked with exotic species and local wildlife.

To make a larger impact on wildlife and animal welfare, I founded, together with my younger sister Ivi, the animal welfare and conservation foundation Faunawatch at the age of 13. Faunawatch works with a big team of volunteers on research and education projects in Asia, Africa and Europe.

At age 17 I started my first sanctuary. This was a sanctuary which would become part of the rescue centre where I was volunteering. It was a sanctuary for hedgehogs. I wrote protocols for the caretaking, cleaning, receptionists, etc. got a permit, organized sponsored enclosures and made sure that all the volunteers received education on the caretaking of a hedgehog.

After graduating from secondary school I started with my veterinary medicine bachelors in Antwerp, Belgium, followed by a masters at the University of Ghent, Belgium, from which I graduated cum laude. For my masters thesis I received the FCWO Award: Best Research Master Thesis. During my masters I already worked on my PhD thesis in cooperation with the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin. Directly after my masters my PhD at the Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine from the University of Ghent started officially. This made it possible to finish my PhD as the youngest PhD student from the faculty. In May 2024 I started to work as scientist and veterinarian and the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin.

Achievements

Due to my activities for animals, nature and the environment, I was chosen by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Dutch Worldimprover of the Year, received a youth ribbon, a green ribbon, was chosen as one of the 100 most inspiring young people under 25 and one of the 100 most sustainable innovative young people under 32, and received a laureate of the municipality of Ghent.