Swakopmund’s Living Desert Snake Park has to find new premises by February 2026 or risk closing down.
Co-owners Angela Curtis and Stretch Combrink are appealing to the community for assistance in finding a new location.
According to Curtis, they were unexpectedly served an eviction notice earlier this month. The area in which the park is currently located has been uncertain for a while, with many businesses having been evicted several years ago due to planned construction.
The snake park was initially told they would be able to remain in their building but have now been asked to leave as well.
“We’re busy trying to find new premises for the snake park, and it’s very difficult. We have 69 animals, so we need a fair amount of space. It has to be quite close to the centre of town, because we need people coming in, because although we do a lot of education and everything, it’s all subsidised, so we need to have tourism as well,” Curtis says.
Alongside those factors, the park’s new home will need toilets, a kitchen to prepare meals for the animals, and a small garden to house animals such as tortoises that need to be kept outdoors.
The snake park has been a staple of Swakopmund for the past three decades, educating countless children and adults over the years.
“We do a huge amount of education,” Curtis told The Namibian.
“Last year we had 5 500 pupils coming through the park, which of course we subsidise just to try and reach as many people as possible and try and change opinions about reptiles. So, we’d like to be able to carry on with that if possible.”
They are now appealing to the Swakopmund community to help locate suitable, affordable premises.
“The public has been our biggest supporters,” Combrink says.
“So if the public could just keep on supporting us, through lateral thinking, maybe ideas, anything will be appreciated, and any input will be followed up.”
