Hai Park – Zoo in Kiryat Motzkin

Immediately at the entrance to Kiryat Motzkin, drive straight until you reach what the locals call the “Penguin Roundabout”, this is a well cared for roundabout, with a fountain in the centre and penguins surrounding it as a guard of honour. Turn north from the roundabout to Hahashmonaim Street, which runs through a residential neighbourhood until you reach No. 79. Who would believe that in the heart of a residential neighbourhood you would find one of the most beautiful zoos in Israel.

The Hai Park was founded in 2002, the vision of Mayor Haim Zuri. It is a nurtured and splendid complex, spread over 130 dunams.

Animals live here with a quality of life and respect in habitats that simulate their natural environment. Thus, for example the Australia emu, kangaroo and the cassowary live in the heart of an eucalyptus grove. The park is abundant with shade trees, palm trees, decorative trees and bushes, whereby almost every tree or bush has written information about it in Hebrew and Arabic.

The Hai Park is a member of international zoo associations, headed by EAZA the European Association, which enables exchange and delivery of animals and ensures the strictest of supervision as to the animals’ quality of life.

Various types of monkeys live in the park including capuchin, macaque, gibbon and tamarin and monkeys in danger of extinction. The orang-utan lives behind reinforced glass in an environment simulating its natural environment. Also the cute lemurs have their own area. They are very friendly and love to sit on the shoulders of the visitors and let them pet them. Petting is solely and only under supervision of the zoo keeper and at weekends.

There is also a bird house in which various type of fowl live including the largest dove in the world and the beautiful mandarin duck.   

The water birds live in a swamp. The flamingo and the swans spread their wings alongside the pelican and the ibis.

Two giraffes lived in the zoo in the past, one of them died because the visitors fed it although it is strictly forbidden. At present there is one giraffe that lives with the zebras, the ostriches and the antelopes.

The Hai Park is arranged as aforementioned so that the animals live in an environment that simulates their natural environment thus the penguins live in an environment that simulates Alaska, the fallow deer, porcupine, deer, Jacob sheep with its six horns and the gazelle live in an environment simulating Israel, whereas the elephants, Paula and Lola, live in an environment simulating Africa, although over the fence of their enclosure one can see the high rise buildings of Kiryat Motzkin.

The Park also has a petting corner with sheep and goats. You may bring green leaves from home to feed the animals.

Furthermore you can take a ride in the park on camels or ponies.

In addition to all of these there is the Luna Hai, a mini amusement park, which includes electric rides, bumper cars and inflatables in the form of animals.

There is a promenade throughout the park and huge spacious lawns and rich vegetation, a lake with swans alongside a play area, shaded seating areas and an amphitheatre with 10,000 seats, which holds performances and events.

One of the most beautiful things in the park is the contribution to the community. People with special needs work in the park and because of this it was awarded the Akim prize for 2012.

The park has a restaurant, snack bars and a Bedouin hospitality tent that can be reserved for family or other events.