Harnas
| Harnas Wildlife Foundation (Harnas) |
|
|---|---|
| Legal form: | Foundation |
| Purpose: | Wildlife protection |
| Chair: | Marieta Van der Merwe |
| Managing directors: | Derek Van Heerden |
| Consist: | since 1978 |
| Founder: | Marieta Van der Merwe |
| Seat: | Harnas Farm, Namibia
|
| Website: | www.harnas.org |
Harnas is a farm with a private game reserve in Namibia , about 300 kilometers east of the capital Windhoek and seventy kilometers north of Gobabis . It is supported by the Foundation Harnas Wildlife Foundation operated.
The organization of the same name based there operates an animal orphanage and medical center that takes abused, injured and imprisoned wild animals from Namibia. Furthermore, the disadvantaged San population is actively supported.
history
In 1978 the farmers Nick and Marieta van der Merwe bought an abused vervet monkey from the hands of poachers for five rand and some bread. In the following years, the monkey was followed by other animals that were housed on the farm. A wilderness area protected by the owner was created which takes up an increasing part of the farm's land. Today, lions , cheetahs , leopards , caracals , eagles , monkeys , mongooses , zebras , baboons , African wild dogs and springboks live on the farm in various enclosures and in the reserve . The van der Merwe family founded the Harnas Wildlife Foundation and opened the Harnas farm to visitors and volunteers in order to finance the running costs of the farm and the care of the wild animals . Safari tours have also been part of the farm's offer for some time.
The international patronage of the Harnas Wildlife Foundation took over Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie .
Infrastructure
In addition to the main house, the quarters for the volunteers and the enclosures of the animal orphanage and the medical center for wild animals, Harnas also has a guest farm and an airfield. There is also a specially fenced-in area on the farm where animals can stay after they have been cared for.
Projects
The following projects have developed over the years:
Harnas Lifeline Project
In a protected and fenced-in area of 8,000 hectares, suitable animals that were previously rescued and raised are released back into the wild. This enables them to live in their natural and original habitat without human intervention.
Harna's wild dog project
The African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) is one of the most threatened animal species in Africa, and the Harnas Wildlife Foundation is committed to protecting it. Harnas currently houses more than 30 of these animals in various packs.
Harna's volunteer project
The volunteer program was started about ten years ago and gives interested animal lovers between the ages of 18 and 45 from all over the world the opportunity to actively participate at Harnas. This includes various areas of the animal world, research, child care and also medical projects.
Cheeky Cheetah Project
Since a large part of the employees on the animal welfare farm belong to the San people , the Harnas Wildlife Foundation has taken on the support of this original nomadic people . The Cheeky Cheetah Day Center is a child-friendly preschool that prepares San children for school. You learn the English language and Afrikaans , basic hygienic rules, and the love for learning should be awakened. Harnas has hired its own teacher for this. The children come together five times a week, have a warm meal, can shower and are prepared for school through play. Sponsorships are given to support the San families.
San development aid
To support the disadvantaged San population, the Harnas Wildlife Foundation not only employs many of these Bushmen, but also runs a training workshop for skilled trades. The San learn to work in carpentry, electrics, installations, car repairs and farm work and are given the opportunity to work on other farms in a qualified manner.
Trivia
“The orphanage for wild animals” : Das Erste has been broadcasting the documentary series The orphanage for wild animals since 2011 . Young volunteers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland live on Harnas for two weeks, take care of the animals together with the employed Bushmen and present the care cases assigned to them. So far 125 episodes have been broadcast (3 seasons) (as of November 2015). The ARD Mediathek keeps the last 20 episodes in stock.
literature
- Tobias Reeh: Places, paths, visions: current approaches in tourism geography . Universitätsverlag Göttingen, 2011 (p. 173 ff.)
- Chris Mercer, Beverley Pervan: For the Love of Wildlife . Kalahari Raptor Center, 2000 (English)
Web links
- German-language website from Harnas
- English language site by Harnas
- "The orphanage for wild animals"
- Welcome to Africa ( Memento from November 28, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
Individual evidence
- ↑ How It All Began Harnas Official Website, accessed February 5, 2017.
- ↑ Film star in the enclosure at spiegel.de, accessed on February 5, 2017.
- ↑ Harnas Wildhundprojekt, Harnas official website, accessed on February 5, 2017.
- ↑ Working as a volunteer on the official website of Harnas, accessed on February 5, 2017.
- ↑ Cheeky Cheetah Project Harnas Official Website, accessed February 5, 2017.
- ↑ San Development Aid official website of Harnas, accessed February 5, 2017.
- ↑ The orphanage for wild animals at Fernsehserien.de, accessed on February 5, 2017.
Coordinates: 21 ° 43 ′ 20.9 ″ S , 19 ° 20 ′ 58.9 ″ E