Orøstrand Animal Park – A Fight That’s Also My Life Story

My name is Ronnie Angel Snowpaw, and for me, Orøstrand is not just a place. It’s a chapter that spans my childhood, my growth, and who I became.

Eight Years That Became Part of Me

I first arrived at Orøstrand as a child in the 1990s. For me, it was first and foremost the treatment home where I lived for eight years. Life had been rough before I came there, and it wasn’t always easy while I was there either. But Orøstrand became a constant in my life. I grew up with the island’s fresh air, the sound of the sea, and the feeling that even in hard times, there could be spaces worth holding onto.

I was around seven when I arrived and about fifteen when I left. Speech therapy was a big part of those years, and learning to speak took time. There were good experiences and friendships, but I also missed the ordinary things: breakfast with my family, coming home after school, having friends over. I can love what Orøstrand gave me and still remember how difficult it was to spend so much of my childhood away from home.

My father moved to a nearby trailer park so he could stay close to me, and I saw my family at weekends. That effort still means a lot to me. My father, Angel Borgquist, died on 13 September 2023. Orøstrand and the places around it carry memories of him as well as memories of the child I used to be. Returning brings those years closer, even though I can never go back to them.

Coming Back to Care for the Animals

As the animal park developed, I was there to see new enclosures take shape, from empty ground to spaces full of life. Years later, in 2012/13, I returned not as a resident, but as a zookeeper apprentice. That park became my classroom and my pride. Caring for the animals, learning their needs, and watching visitors, especially children, connect with them was something I’ll never forget.

A Place Where Children Learn With Animals

Orøstrand’s own history dates the institution to 1901. Its first head, Ludvig Beck, wanted it to have the character of a real home. It became a school and treatment home for girls and boys in 1976. It remains an institution under Landsforeningen LIVSVÆRK, on the island of Orø in Isefjord near Holbæk. Read Orøstrand’s history.

There is one date to keep straight: Destination Sjælland’s visitor information dates the animal park to 1989. The development I remember seeing was part of its growth, rather than its original opening. My childhood story is about the place I lived in and the changes I witnessed.

The school’s published description still connects the animals with teaching. Pupils can learn about the countries animals come from, accompany keepers during feeding and care, or take a guide course and practise showing visitors around. It also describes time with a keeper as a helpful break for children who find the school day difficult.

I know how much those opportunities can mean to a child. I want them to remain available to the children growing up there now.

The Walk That Still Feels Like Coming Home

The animal park shaped my future. It gave me the deep love for animals and nature that still drives me today. Now I spend my free time traveling across Denmark, visiting nature reserves, zoos, and wildlife parks, photographing everything from local birds to exotic species. But no matter where I go, Orøstrand Animal Park is the one place I always return to.

Even now, I walk there 2-3 times a year from Vellerup Summer Village, walking about 7½ km each way and taking the ferry over to Orø, just to spend time there. For me, it’s not just a visit. It’s coming home.

My route takes me through Vellerup Summer Village and past Verdens Ende towards Hammer Bakke, then across on the ferry. The journey is part of returning to that old chapter of my life. I arrive with my camera now, but the connection began years before photography did.

Why I Spoke Up

When I wrote my original appeal, this was how I described my concerns:

But today, that home is hurting.
The park’s condition is declining. Maintenance is lacking. It’s not being used in the same way to teach children about responsibility, compassion, and the care of animals, the very lessons that changed my life.

I know for a fact that there have been offers to buy the park, but they’ve been turned down. If the organization running it, LIVSVÆRK, doesn’t want to keep it alive, I believe they should pass it on to someone who will. Closing it would be more than losing an attraction. It would be erasing part of Orø’s identity, and that loss would ripple through tourism, the community, and the island’s spirit.

Those are my own observations and my account of the offers I knew about. The public sources linked here explain Orøstrand’s background and its current restructuring; they do not independently document those offers.

The later Orøposten report gives more detail about the terrarium: it says insufficient heating was identified in autumn 2024 and that a local rescue effort was unable to raise the money needed. It reports that the park will remain and be developed with learning and children in mind. Read the local report.

Animal welfare has to come first. My hope is that the animals receive proper care and that the children keep the chance to learn alongside them. If the park is being reshaped, I want the people who care about it to understand what is being kept, what is being lost, and how they can help.

The Steps I Took

That’s why I’ve acted:

• I have contacted LIVSVÆRK directly, including their general secretary and board members, urging them to explain their plans and reconsider their decision.
• I’ve reached out to local associations, like the Orø Residents’ Association and Orø Local Forum, to rally local voices.
• I have filed an official statement with Holbæk Municipality, asking them to assess the park’s value to the island and consider alternative solutions, such as municipal or cooperative management.

Please Help Protect Its Future

This fight isn’t just about keeping animals in cages. It’s about keeping alive a place that has given children, including me, hope, purpose, and love for the living world. It’s about protecting a part of Orø’s soul.

I’m asking anyone who reads this to share the story. Talk about it. Shine light on it.
Because if we let this park disappear quietly, we lose more than fences and enclosures. We lose memories, opportunities, and a rare space where children can grow into something better than their circumstances.

Please share the story with the current information attached. Ask about the plans. Keep the children and the animals in the conversation. I want future residents to have their own memories here, their own chance to discover that caring for another living creature is something they can do well.

For me, saving Orøstrand Animal Park is not a project. It’s personal. It’s my life.

Personal account and photographs by Ronnie Angel Snowpaw, also known as Kiba Snowpaw. Public information checked on 8 October 2026. Orøstrand Dyrepark · History · School · Local reporting.