EVER wonder what a live emu or alpaca looks like and never thought that you could see them right here in Windhoek? Well you can, at the Haven Zoological Park in Kleine Kuppe, on the corner of Kleine Kuppe and Rietfontein streets.
The park boasts two emus and two alpacas, but there are also about 20 other species of animals.The park and petting zoo is the lifelong dream of Martin Wiese. Like many other children his parents took him to the Okahandja Zoo when it was still in existence. This childhood memory stuck with him and he always wanted to own his own zoo one day. He also wanted to create a safe environment where children can get close to animals, interact with them and even play with some.It took him seven years to realise his dream. He had to get permission from the Municipality of Windhoek and from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism to keep wild animals. Now that the zoo is up and running, both institutions are very willing to help and the issuing of permits is quick and easy.Children can enter an enclosure to pet and feed rabbits and guinea pigs.Other animals like ponies, Dexter cows, a miniature Brahman bull and goats are very tame and can also be fed and petted.Some of the animals, like the vervet monkey, were rescued by the SPCA or by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and brought to the zoo. Sadly, some of the animals – like a meerkat – were dropped off by people who had acquired them as pets and then changed their minds when they were no longer small and cute.’A baboon was put in a box and left in front of the gate once,’ says Wiese, ‘but we do not have the money to build a proper and big enough cage for the animal. So we had to find another home.’It costs N$550 a day to feed all the existing animals and with low entrance fees to make it accessible to everyone, the zoo is running at a loss and the Wieses can’t afford to take in unwanted pets. Some of the enclosures are sponsored for a year by companies, which helps a bit with the costs. Businesspeople who are interested can pay N$3 000 per year and advertise their business at the enclosure.The zoo is open to the public from Tuesday to Saturday between 09h00 and 17h00 and on Sundays from 09h00 until 13h00. The entrance fee is N$20 for adults and N$10 for children under four years. The fee includes a feeding bucket from which children can feed animals. There is also a coffee shop and playground.The park is well worth a visit and gives city children the opportunity to experience and see animals up close.Martin and his wife, Julie, plan to bring different species to Namibia so that Namibians can enjoy the rich variety the animal kingdom has to offer. Julie hopes to one day have a couple of Australian wallabies running around, while Martin is planning a crocodile pool offering crocodile cage diving, which is currently all the rage in South Africa.The emu is the national bird of Australia and is a bit smaller than an ostrich.Alpacas come from South America and are related to llamas and camels – only much smaller. Their wool is extremely valuable and they are also exceptional guards, often used to guard sheep. They are white and have baby-blue eyes.
