“Hai Park” is a Zoo in Kiryat Motzkin. In the park there is also an amusement park which has fun games for kids, major attractions and rides, bumper cars and more.
The animal park was established in 2002 on an area of 150 dunams. The complex includes, in addition to the zoo, a children’s playground, an indoor theater (known as the “Amphi-Park”), a swan lake, shaded seating areas, an amusement park facilities designed for preschoolers and a restaurant. Every year, the Ampipark hosts various performances, including the local Independence Day celebrations and the graduation ceremony of the ORT Kiryat Motzkin High School.
The animal park is recognized as a tourist site by the Government Tourism Association of Israel and is a member of the Western Galilee Tourism Association, as well as a member of the Israeli, European, Russian and World Zoos.
The Kiryat Motzkin Zoo – History & Features
The Kiryat Motzkin Zoo opened in July 2002. Since then, millions have visited the site, which is considered the most beautiful zoo in Israel.
The initiator and the living spirit behind the project of the zoo is mainly considered to be Haim Tzuri, the mayor of Kiryat Motzkin (since November 1993). He aimed to establish a park that can become one of the leading tourist attractions in Israel, and will attract more visitors and businesses to the somewhat sleepy town of Kiryat Motzkin, which is a small city in the metropolitan area of greater Haifa.
The complex, spreading on 150 thousands square meters, includes many animals in a breathtaking park. Giraffes, elephants, orangutans, various birds, reptiles and a wide variety of other animals can be seen there, in spectacular displays that mimic their natural living environments.
The site contains several complexes:
- In the park complex you can find a 2,000 sq meters swan lake, fountains, aquatic and tropical vegetation and many lovely seating areas shaded by a huge variety of trees.
- The amusement park complex is home to a mini amusement park – electric rides, turnstiles, trains and bumping cars.
- In the zoo complex you can ride camels and ponies on the wide paths inside the zoo.
- The Amphi Park complex is another complex where events and performances are held with the best artists from Israel and abroad. The complex can accommodate up to 10,000 people.
The zoo is considered as the largest educational recreation center in the north of the country, hosting tens of thousands of students a year who come on experiential study tours to learn about the natural living conditions of the animals. Age groups of visitors ranged from kindergartens, elementary schools, middle schools, students and seniors. Classes and summer camps are held there as well.
The animal park operates through the Kiryat Motzkin community centers network.
The Animal Park employs therapists, veterinarians, marketing educators and administrators. One of the leading programs at the zoo is a community service program in which over 20 adults with various disabilities such as mental disability, Down syndrome and autism, work together with a team of caregivers at the park and help them with maintenance, animal care, cleaning and feeding. This program earned the Animal Park the Outstanding Employer Award, for 2012, on behalf of Akim, for employing people with disabilities.
The zoo in Kiryat Motzkin is recognized as a tourist site by the Government Tourism Association of Israel (Hamat) and a member of the Western Galilee Tourism Association, a member of the Israeli, European, and Russian zoos.
The Zoo Purposes
- Establishment of a zoological collection and its maintenance in good living conditions, in an effort to preserve rare, endangered animals.
- The development of the park as an educational recreation center and as an attractive and unique tourist site in Israel.
- Development and maintenance of educational and informative activities that bring the public closer to the care and protection of animals.
- Raising environmental awareness and encouraging the love for animals.
- Development of special programs, which open the park to different populations and create unique options for treatment and care, which combine involvement in the zoo.
- Research and participation in international national projects, of conservation, reproduction and return to nature of various animals.
For more information, you can visit the park’s website.