Kamelhof Rotfelden
The Kamelhof in Rotfelden was 94 (June 2009) camels , mainly Camel , the largest camel farm in Europe . It was destroyed by fire in early 2013. In April 2017, the Rotfelden leisure park opened on the premises .
history
The former farmer Wilhelm Breitling introduced several camels to Germany in the late 1980s in order to breed them and to research their husbandry. In 1990 he founded the Fatamorgana camel club and in 1997, together with Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al-Nahayan from the United Arab Emirates, organized a camel race on the Hoppegarten horse racing track near Berlin in front of more than 40,000 visitors. In May 2002 the Kamelhof was opened in a district of Ebhausen in the northern Black Forest .
The Kamelhof carried out basic scientific research in cooperation with universities and tried to prove that camels are also at home in Europe and that farmers could use them as a livelihood. In particular, breeding and keeping from an agricultural point of view were examined.
Every year around 80,000 visitors visited the Kamelhof, which, mainly for families with children, had become one of the most important tourist attractions in the northern Black Forest as a kind of leisure park and petting zoo . Children could groom and stroke the dromedaries and trample , visitors could also ride camels and book larger rides.
Disabled people were brought together with the camels as a therapeutic measure - similar to the dolphin therapy . However, the therapies had to be discontinued in 2008 as there was no suitable specialist.
Once a year on the weekend after Ascension , the Fatamorgana camel association organized a camel festival on the farm.
For reasons of age, Wilhelm Breitling intended to sell the farm.
Camels in the outdoor area
Look into the stable
Camels in the stable
Shelter
The Kamelhof burned down completely in a major fire on the night of January 30th to 31st, 2013. 86 animals fell victim to the flames. According to initial estimates, the property damage was estimated at over one million euros.
A memorial and farewell event, at which a plaque was unveiled for the animals that died, took place on April 18, 2013. State Secretary Hans-Joachim Fuchtel spoke at this event.
Among the five trample that survived the fire were two pregnant camels, whose young were born after the disaster. The seven animals were to remain in Rotfelden as long as Wilhelm Breitling was alive.
At a general meeting on May 3, 2014 it was decided that as of December 31, 2014 the camel association “Fatamorgana e. V. "is dissolved. Ways were sought to preserve the home of the still living camels by founding a successor association and to preserve the experience gained for posterity.
In 2015 Breitling sold the farm to the Sennert family; This set up the Rotfelden amusement park , which opened in April 2017 with a football golf facility. The remaining camels and their offspring will also be part of the park.
literature
- Wilhelm Breitling: A life with camels. Stories, experiences as well as advice on keeping. Morija Verlag, Wildberg 2016, ISBN 978-3-945178-00-3 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Schwarzwälder Bote ( Memento of the original from March 6, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Kamelhof is looking for buyers Stuttgarter Zeitung, June 19, 2012, accessed on June 19, 2012
- ↑ Recovery of the camel carcasses and not a cause of fire SWR.de
- ↑ The sudden end of a camel farm in the Black Forest Stuttgarter Zeitung online, January 31, 2013, accessed on February 1, 2013
- ↑ Homepage of the Kamelhof
- ↑ New soccer golf course has opened . Schwarzwälder Bote, April 10, 2017.
Coordinates: 48 ° 36 ′ 0.9 ″ N , 8 ° 41 ′ 30.3 ″ E