{"id":44,"date":"2026-10-07T22:30:03","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T22:30:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.theicealphawolfden.com\/?p=44"},"modified":"2026-10-07T22:30:03","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T22:30:03","slug":"orostrand-animal-park-a-fight-thats-also-my-life-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.theicealphawolfden.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/07\/orostrand-animal-park-a-fight-thats-also-my-life-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Or\u00f8strand Animal Park \u2013 A Fight That\u2019s Also My Life Story"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

My name is Ronnie Angel Snowpaw<\/strong>, and for me, Or\u00f8strand is not just a place. It\u2019s a chapter that spans my childhood, my growth, and who I became.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Update: 8 October 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or\u00f8strand\u2019s current visitor page<\/a> says the animal park is being restructured and has fewer animals. An Or\u00f8posten report published on 29 May 2026<\/a> describes the terrarium being phased out while the animal park continues. The appeal below records my concerns and the steps I took; it should not be read as an announcement that the whole park has closed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Eight Years That Became Part of Me<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I first arrived at Or\u00f8strand<\/strong> 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\u2019t always easy while I was there either. But Or\u00f8strand became a constant in my life. I grew up with the island\u2019s fresh air, the sound of the sea, and the feeling that even in hard times, there could be spaces worth holding onto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 Or\u00f8strand gave me and still remember how difficult it was to spend so much of my childhood away from home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. Or\u00f8strand 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming Back to Care for the Animals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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<\/strong>. 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\u2019ll never forget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"A
A ring-tailed lemur with a piece of food.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"A
A raccoon among the grass.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A Place Where Children Learn With Animals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Or\u00f8strand\u2019s own history dates the institution to 1901<\/strong>. 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<\/strong>. It remains an institution under Landsforeningen LIVSV\u00c6RK<\/strong>, on the island of Or\u00f8 in Isefjord near Holb\u00e6k. Read Or\u00f8strand\u2019s history<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is one date to keep straight: Destination Sj\u00e6lland\u2019s visitor information<\/a> dates the animal park to 1989<\/strong>. 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The school\u2019s published description<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know how much those opportunities can mean to a child. I want them to remain available to the children growing up there now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Two
Two budgerigars close together on their perch.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"A
A red macaw beside the enclosure mesh.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Walk That Still Feels Like Coming Home<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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, Or\u00f8strand Animal Park is the one place I always return to<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even now, I walk there 2-3 times a year from Vellerup Summer Village, walking about 7\u00bd km each way and taking the ferry over to Or\u00f8, just to spend time there. For me, it\u2019s not just a visit. It\u2019s coming home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"A
A donkey resting in the grass.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"A
A llama looking back over its shoulder.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why I Spoke Up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When I wrote my original appeal, this was how I described my concerns:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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But today, that home is hurting.The park\u2019s condition is declining. Maintenance is lacking. It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know for a fact that there have been offers to buy the park, but they\u2019ve been turned down. If the organization running it, LIVSV\u00c6RK<\/strong>, doesn\u2019t 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 Or\u00f8\u2019s identity, and that loss would ripple through tourism, the community, and the island\u2019s spirit.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Those are my own observations and my account of the offers I knew about. The public sources linked here explain Or\u00f8strand\u2019s background and its current restructuring; they do not independently document those offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The later Or\u00f8posten 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Steps I Took<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why I\u2019ve acted:<\/p>\n\n\n\n