Zookeeper, educator.
Born at Rotterdam, The Netherlands on 19 July 1938, he grew up there with his brother Franz and sister Helena. His childhood during the Second World War was difficult, due to the lack of food, and he and many other children were sent to live on farms, separated from their families for extended periods. After the war ended, he got an education and began a career at the Rotterdam Zoo.
In 1964, he made the decision to immigrate to Canada. He settled in Winnipeg and began a long and stellar career at the Winnipeg Zoo at Assiniboine Park, as Zookeeper, Zoo Foreman, General Curator, Educator, and Consultant. He possessed a love for and a unique understanding of the animal kingdom. During the early years, he was a regular on the “Archie and his Friends” children’s TV show on CKY, with its host Robert Warren “Uncle Bob” Swarts where he showcased various animals from the Zoo.
In February 1974, he made headlines when a snow leopard that had escaped from the Zoo nearly jumped him before he could fire a shot from a tranquillizer gun to knock the animal out. He had tracked the leopard, named Shadow, for 90 minutes and shot it from two metres away. Another adventure involved a wild moose that showed up in the city in July 1972, swimming across the Red River four times while police and wildlife authorities chased it. The animal was finally captured when Janson shot it with a tranquillizer gun as it ran down Eugenie Street in St. Boniface, collapsing a few minutes later after crossing the Seine River. The moose was taken to the Zoo to live with others of its species.
His work with the Zoological Society of Manitoba included overseeing its Zoo Camp and Junior Zookeeping programs, and he was involved with its educational outreach programming. The summer Zoo Camp was a very popular event at the Winnipeg Zoo. For many years, because he also helped out at the International Fur Factory, skinning bears, wolves, and whatever was asked of him, he was able to bring preserved animal skulls to camp to show the kids.
From constructing tables and other trinkets out of interesting tree roots, to jewellery-making, he was seldom idle and always had some project on the go. Besides visits to family in The Netherlands, he loved to travel to exotic places, sometimes fitting in some work at a zoo at the destination. One winter, he went to St. Marten in the Caribbean to help restore a zoo. He especially enjoyed Hawaii and spent several winters there, occasionally volunteering at the Honolulu Zoo. One of his voyages consisted of crossing the Atlantic as a passenger on a merchant marine ship.
A true outdoorsman, he eventually moved to Lac du Bonnet, where he could plant a garden, have a workshop for his many hobbies, and fish in the river and lakes whenever he desired.
He died on 1 April 2012 and was buried in the Riverland Cemetery near Lac du Bonnet.
“Cor Janson: Zoo Camp Director Emeritus,” Zoological Society of Manitoba, 1998.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 3 May 2012.
“Zoo foreman became a local celebrity,” Winnipeg Free Press, 4 May 2012.
This page was prepared by Lois Braun.
Page revised: 7 May 2026
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