Bioparc Fuengirola advocates for the social and educational work with the animals, not only as a zoo
Ever since I was little I knew about the famous Zoo of Fuengirola, a town on the Costa del Sol in Málaga that is about an hour from the capital (which is where I lived). It was almost a required school trip visit and I think that everyone in my generation remembers the rebelious monkey that spat and smoked, people giving food to the animals or the caged lion. The bad part of the old zoo were the conditions that they had for the animals, although I’m sure they were treated with love, they were treated like zoo animals in the old-fashioned sense. Since this concept of a zoo, obviously, has become out dated and no longer is desirable, the concept of Bioparc Fuengirola was born.
Bioparc Fuengirola isn’t very big, actually it only covers 1.5 hectacres and is located in the middle of the urban center, so it doesn’t have much room to grow. Despite its size, they have managed to create one of those unique places where you can spend a day learning and having a good time. Bioparc Fuengirola wanted to advocate for lesser known species, making sure that the park was not only a place to see animals, but also a place for conservation and teaching the importance of nature so that we all start to feel the same level of commitment to our natural surroundings.
Bioparc Fuengirola is divided into three parts and takes us to the jungles of Madagascar, Ecuatorial Africa and South East Asia (you can download the park’s map here.) We were lucky enough to have a park veterinarian show us around, and with his passion for the job, he really knew how to convey and teach us about the hidden parts of the park and its importance. Bioparc Fuengirola also serves as a connection point with other zoos that are running campaigns for protection, conservation and reproduction in certain species to assure their quality o life and prevent extinction.
We begin the visit to the jungle of Madagascar, where the animals that stand out in Bioparc Fuengirola are the lemurs (you will probably remember them from the crazy scenes in the movie Madagascar) You should have been there to see the postures and faces that these little mammals put on, getting very closet o visitors. To get to the area of the lemurs, you have to go with a guide who explained the importance of the baobab tres in the jungle as a shelter for the animals as well as how the lemurs take full advantage of them. In fact, at the entrance to this area there is a reproduction of a baobab tree.
We continued to the Equatorial African area where we found some of the most fascinating animals in the park. The crocodiles form the Nile with there calm appearance seem inofensive, although we knew that it was far from the truth. We also enjoyed see the dominant gorillas and the endearing chimpanzees, whose behavior is so similar to our own. The truth is that every animal had its own peculiarities and we were lucky to have someone there to explain how they live, what they eat and even see where they sleep from an enthusiastic veterinarian. We absolutely ruskommend a free guided visit!
Lastly, the Southeast Asian jungle is presided over by Sumatran tigers at Bioparc Fuengirola. They are so majestic! The space for these two tigers is spectacular with a recreation of the Temple of Angkor, which makes it so that you don’t see the other visitors from the different look out points. The tapirs also surprised us, not only because of how they are, but also because of how long they have been on the Earth. Orangutans, pelicans and other animals can also be seen in this space.
But, it’s not only the animals, as if that weren’t enough, that make this park so attractive. In Bioparc Fuengirola they have taken care to pay attention to the asthetic details of all the spaces and corners where you can see animals enjoying the valleys, wetlands and forests so that they feel at home. Although it isn’t open to the general public, we had the opportunity to see the incubators and the reproduction and conservation center where some of the protected species are located. It’s important to know that Bioparc Fuengirola advocates for the social and educational work with the animals, not only as a zoo.
And, by night, Bioparc Fuengirola is transformed offering another aspect, very different from a visit during the day. You can enjoy a nighttime visit to discover the life of these animals at a time when they are more active. There are also mammal and bird shows where we can learn about how those animals interact and how they live in a natural space. To complete the evening, we atended an african dance show where we learned about typical dances and instruments from various African cultures. We Ruskommend Bioparc Fuengirola with 4 boquerones, and we encourage you toenjoy the city of Fuengirola, as well, and take the time to travel into the impressive jungle.
