Meet The Youngest Owner Of A Rescue Zoo Who Helps Mistreated Animals

While a lot of millennials live with loud flatmates, 24-year-old Nikolai Ankergren shares his home with over 600 noisy animals, no wonder he is constantly getting interrupted. Twenty years ago, Nikolai’s parents, Jorgen and Joan bought a zoo and started the first zoo and rescue centre for exotic animals in Denmark.

Unfortunately, two years ago Nikolai’s father passed away from cancer, leaving Nikolai and his mother to look after the busy zoo and the rescue animals. Nikolai went to pursue his dream as a game developer, but after his father’s passing, he had to return to his hometown and help his mother run the zoo.

Owning a zoo is a busy work, with Nikolai taking on many jobs, feeding, cleaning and playing with the animals. 600 animals may sound like plenty, but Nikolai actually wants the zoo to grow. He hopes to fulfill his parents’ dream and make it the biggest rescue center for exotic animals in all of Europe. Things work different than in the traditional zoos. They feel the responsibility to help where they can, that is when they converted the zoo into a rescue zoo instead.

That means taking in mistreated animals that come from abusive situations, such as laboratory animals, given that, some of their animals do have scars and problems of which they have to take care of. Having to support his mother and the zoo, Nikolai has come up with a creative way to raise some money. A mobile app game about the zoo. The game’s profits will go to various charities and Nikolai hopes the money raised will also help realize his family’s dream of making their rescue center the biggest in Europe.

Videographer / director: Nikolai Ankergren
Producer: Shannon Lane, Ed Baranski
Editor: Sonia Estal