© EichertMedia / Arche Warder
AN ARK FOR DIVERSITY
Education on the Ark
Marine conservation begins on land – in the Arche (Ark) Warder just outside the gates of Kiel. What goes around comes around? No, because at Arche Warder, education is seen as a lifelong process.
People interested in nature and animals, from toddlers to senior citizens, can learn new things at Arche Warder through experiencing nature, direct encounters with animals and learning by doing. The focus is not just on conveying facts and figures, but programmes such as ‘Be a zookeeper for once’ focus on teaching with your hands, head and heart
For kindergartens and schools, Arche Warder offers a wide range of educational programmes such as ‘From sheep to wool’, ‘Who eats what?’ or ‘Netting in the pond’. Walk-through petting enclosures and nature playgrounds with a climbing spider's web, a play ark and a straw playhouse provide space for a fun-filled playtime
In addition to the 40-hectare zoo, the DOMESTICANEUM visitor centre invites young and old to embark on a journey through time.
How did dogs become our best friends? How did the pig become a pet? How did humans and chickens come together? The barrier-free DOMESTICANEUM visitor centre answers these and other questions in eight different rooms.
How the wolf became a dog
First, we go back thousands of years into a cave to the people of the Palaeolithic Age, who were survivalists and specialised in hunting and gathering. We can only speculate as to how the Stone Age people made wolves their faithful companions, as there are only a few artefacts from this period. Scientists assume that the wolf took the first step and sought the proximity of humans, presumably because it was attracted by the scraps.
The cattle breeders of the Neolithic period
In the next room of the exhibition, visitors are taken back to the Neolithic Age, to the first farmers around 7500 B.C. and 3500 B.C. People settled down, started farming and turned wild animals into pets. ‘Here we also make a link to our Neolithic settlement in the Arche Warder animal park. Sheep and goats are our lead animals in this era,’ explains Stefanie Klingel, zoo educator at Arche Warder. Why did our ancestors choose sheep and goats and not deer or antelopes, which were also animals of the time? Stefanie Klingel: ‘In the exhibition, users can explore precisely this question in an interesting, interactive game.’
Horses and cats: Adventure tour through Uruk
The journey continues to the first metropolis of mankind: the city of Uruk in southern Iraq directly on the River Euphrates. At the Arche Warder Visitor Centre, visitors can take a trip to the former megacity. They climb into a chariot and experience an exciting virtual journey through Uruk.
With the pigs to the forest pasture
In the Middle Ages, forest grazing was of great importance. In spring and summer, the bristling cattle were grazed in the marshy meadows and swamps. In autumn, the animals were taken into the woods where they were fattened up with ripe acorns and beechnuts. This made the pigs' meat particularly tasty and nutritious.
Modern times and the present: loss of genetic diversity
The next room in the visitor centre, which covers the period from the modern era to the present day, is all about loss and diversity. ‘The idea is to show the disappearance of livestock breeds. At the same time, visitors should be sensitised to the diversity that still exists,’ says Stefanie Klingel, explaining the concept. This room also builds an interactive bridge to the diversity of rare livestock breeds that can be experienced live at Arche Warder. ‘The aims of Arche Warder will also be presented so that it becomes clear why we are doing all this,’ says Klingel. The Arche Warder Landscape Animal Park carries out professional conservation work for rare farm animals, many of which are threatened with extinction. In the Loss and Diversity area, the focus is on chickens as domestic animals, as their genetic diversity is particularly endangered by industrial farming.
An opportunity for the future
What should our future look like? That's what the ‘Farm of the Future’ is all about. The main animal here is cattle. Visitors have the opportunity to experiment in a large interactive game. For example, what effects does long-term, large-scale maize cultivation with fertilisers have on biodiversity and the soil? What happens on a field if I sow a flower strip and do not use pesticides? The aim here is to show that there is another way of farming that preserves the diversity of animal and plant species and habitats. After all, people need them to supply us with food, raw materials and energy. So let's do something and get active. Let's pay attention to how we keep animals, what we eat and what we are committed to.
“Arche Warder’s zoo education programme offers a wide range of activities that combine responsible interaction with animals and nature, sustainable action and a commitment to nature and the environment with social skills.”
Stefanie Klingel
Cinema and inner courtyard
In the cinema of the visitor centre, you can watch sophisticated film clips about various pets, which complement the information previously provided. The inner courtyard of the visitor centre is set up as a quiet zone with seating to relax.
There are educational programmes for everyone at the zoo. Special guided tours for people with disabilities are also on the programme – because contact with the animals at Arche Warder is good for you.
In addition, the Arche Warder team also organises children's birthday parties with a variety of highlights: a birthday treasure hunt, a Stone Age birthday party or an animal care birthday party.
Arche Warder’s zoo education programme offers a wide range of activities that combine responsible interaction with animals and nature, sustainable action and a commitment to nature and the environment with social skills.
Stefanie Klingel
… is responsible for marketing and public relations as well as being a zoo educator. After 17 years, she knows the Ark better than anyone else.
Arche Warder is the world's largest zoo for rare and endangered livestock breeds.With a clear scientific concept, Warder Ark plays an important role in the conservation of rare livestock breeds. Around 1,100 animals from currently 94 different breeds live on 40 hectares of parkland with species-appropriate and aesthetically designed facilities and various satellite stations.The Warder Ark is a non-profit organisation and relies on donations. Help at www.arche-warder.de
Lisa Iwon
... has been working at Arche Warder since 2008 and is responsible for donation management and marketing/public relations.
© Stefanie Klingel, Arche (Ark) Warder
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