At the age of thirteen, Erik van Vliet worked at the now defunct Wassenaar Zoo near The Hague in the Netherlands. His studies at Amsterdam University and Art school Kampen were geared towards becoming a zoo designer and included biology and landscape architecture. He graduated with a thesis on European Union zoo legislation. While he was a student, he co-founded the Amsterdam Zoo volunteer team. The first design and master plan assignment was at Beekse Bergen Safaripark in the south of the Netherlands in 1992. For ten years, Erik van Vliet was a member of the management team of the Amersfoort zoo, responsible for development and education during which time he held positions on the Education Committee and the Committee for Technical Assistance of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria.