Harnas, once a normal cattlefarm belonging to the van der Merwes, is today a charitable organisation dedicated to save endangered wild animals in Namibia.
It all started ... |
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in 1978 when Nick and Marieta van der Merwe saved a maltreated vervet monkey from its owner for 5 Rand (0.6 Euro) and a piece of bread. This ape was the beginning of a long line of animals that found refuge on their farm Harnas. To cover the ever- increasing costs for food, new enclosures and medical treatment, which the family had financed until then, through profits from their cattle, Harnas opened its doors to visitors.
It was the beginning of a dream in utilising tourism to provide a sustainable income for all the role players, which include the bushman tribe living on Harnas. This dream eventually led to the shared vision amongst the Van der Merwe family of forming a company for the purpose of managing the business side of Harnas. This vision became reality when Harnas Lifeline Pty Ltd was incorporated in 2003. |
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The complete area was converted (with funding from Angelina Jolie the patron of Harnas) into a 10 000 ha release site and will in future mainly serve as a soft release area for animals that have been successfully rehabilitated. Wild animals which are brought to Harnas can be already released into this area. The successful rehabilitation needs time and depends on many factors and nesessary equipment - like radio collars for monitoring the big cats are very cost- intensive.
But some animals can not be released due to their age, disablement or their adaption to humans.
Within the Working Guest Programme the Harnas Wildlife Foundation offers the possibility to experience life at Harnas by active work. |
