Safari Parks near Madrid

sooty mangabey

sooty mangabey

Well-Known Member
There are two safari parks close to Madrid, each of which goes a little under the radar. Does anyone have any experience of either of them?

The more established-seeming is "Safari Madrid" (Aldea del Fresno). Oddly, in the U.K. I couldn't access their website, which returned a "forbidden" message (!). I think they have black lechwe there, which makes a visit essential; according to the website (not forbidden once out of the UK) they also have striped hyena, new this year, which is a cut above what might be expected.

The second is "Zoo Safari Fauna Aventura", which has a fairly risible website. This shows pronghorns, which i suspect is a case of artistic license.

My prejudices suggest that both places will be fairly second-rate, but if anyone has a different perspective I would be very grateful to hear from them.
 
There's a few videos of Safari Madrid on youtube that'll give you an idea.
I will be in the area early next week, but a drive around safari in their current heat is not what I am planning ;)
 
I have a guidebook to one of these places (can't remember which one without digging it out). In it is a photo of a female rhino with young calf - in a mixed reserve with baboons and (American) black bears...
 
^^
For sure you are talking about Safari Aldea del Fresno.
 
Thanks, all.

Keeper: do you know more about these two places? Using Google translate, I have read a little on the Spanish zoos forum. Some fairly grim events are alluded to, relating to Zoo Safari....
 
Hi sooty mangabey: I only known Safari Aldea del Fresno, but my only one visit was in 1979.

Today seems they try to be more in the average for the spanish zoo/safari standars than in the 80's-90's but still not very good place for me.

They have a few interesting Species -at least for the Spanish zoos- like lechwe waterbuck or american black bears as you known. But they must improve more and more.

For the other place :I have not idea for where it's located exactly, or Species, area, or number of visitors, or something like that.
 
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I haven´t been on any of them, since I live pretty far from Madrid and don´t seems to worth the trip, but if you are thinking on visit one of them, I totally would avoid Fauna Aventura. According with the pictures I have seen and the experience of people that have visited it, seems to be the worst zoo we have in Spain. No interesting species, horrible enclosures, and animals in bad conditions. And also the grim events you have read about. In fact, I´m surprised that place is still open...

Keeper, Zoo Safari Fauna Aventura is the one at Hinojosa de San Vicente, Toledo ;)
 
:rolleyes: :D Ok! Many Thanks Merintia.
This make sense for me right now!:eek:
 
So, today I visited Zoo Safari Fauna Aventura (Hinojosa) - against the advice of some, it must be said!

I'll probably write more about this elsewhere, but, for the moment, I would say that it is possibly the worst zoo I have ever been to: I think I've seen worse in various African countries (but I'm not sure it's fair to compare Spain with the Congo, or Morocco), in Hungary many years ago (but those zoos have all now made huge improvements) and at the infamous Genk Zoo, in Belgium (which is now long gone).

Pretty grim accommodation for the animals - three bears, in tiny, featureless cages, did especially poorly. A free-ranging zebra. Plenty of other real safety issues (no stand off barriers, although the rather worrying owner did mime out not to get too close....).

The owner - he features heavily on the website - followed me around for my whole visit, and shouted at me a great deal. I wasn't sure whether this was cheerful shouting, or angry shouting. It's only the third zoo visit I have ever had where I have been chaperoned by the director (the aforementioned Genk was one other, and the owners there were mad, and Glasgow was the other, where the late Richard O'Grady literally kicked me up the arse for having come in to his zoo!).

Half an hour away is another very peculiar zoo: Zoo Koki. Not a good zoo, really, but on a different planet to Hinojosa. Lots of pheasants. Singleton ungulates. A few carnivores. Pretty shabby housing. But nothing compared to its near-neighbour.....
 
sooty mangabey said:
So, today I visited Zoo Safari Fauna Aventura (Hinojosa) - against the advice of some, it must be said!

I'll probably write more about this elsewhere, but, for the moment, I would say that it is possibly the worst zoo I have ever been to: I think I've seen worse in various African countries (but I'm not sure it's fair to compare Spain with the Congo, or Morocco), in Hungary many years ago (but those zoos have all now made huge improvements) and at the infamous Genk Zoo, in Belgium (which is now long gone).
Click to expand...

I think that you and I are neck-and-neck at around 370 zoos each all-time, and if this place is the absolute nadir of zoological experiences then that is really saying something! The website makes it seem colourful, cheerful and a welcoming safari adventure...perhaps to entice folks through the entrance gate and then shock them with the grim surroundings.
 
snowleopard said:
I think that you and I are neck-and-neck at around 370 zoos each all-time
Click to expand...

I can't slip behind a colonial commoner! (Colonial commoner - Witterpedia.net). Fortunately, at least one new zoo in Spain over the coming weeks, and one in Poland in September, will see me nudge ahead of you again. Phew!

snowleopard said:
The website makes it seem colourful, cheerful and a welcoming safari adventure...perhaps to entice folks through the entrance gate and then shock them with the grim surroundings.
Click to expand...

It's a complete fiction! (Apart from the pictures of the rather seedy owner, and those of the rather grim looking catering facilities). There are suggestions of elephant, chimps, gemsbok, even pronghorns - none of which are to be seen in this nasty little place (thank goodness).
 
I was enjoying this thread but within the last few posts it has become endearing and very amusing. The review of a shockingly bad zoo from an experienced visitor made me laugh out loud! :) And I have also learned a new phrase in colonial commoner. Happy days. :)

And when you posted this thread I had a feeling you'd visit the afore-mentioned parks regardless Sooty!
 
I visited zoo Koki one time. And yes, at least the pheasants collection, it's "interesting"
 
sooty mangabey said:
I can't slip behind a colonial commoner! (Colonial commoner - Witterpedia.net). Fortunately, at least one new zoo in Spain over the coming weeks, and one in Poland in September, will see me nudge ahead of you again. Phew!
Click to expand...

You dare to call me a "colonial commoner"? :) Haha! Egads, such mirth from a man who likely has a tattoo of a "martlet" somewhere on his body.* Either that, or a Portsmouth football club crest with the words "Nico Kranjcar Forever" emblazoned in the center. I'm at 372 zoos and to be honest that total will not change for at least a full year or even two years...but then I'll hopefully launch another Snowleopard Trip and add 40 zoos to my lifetime number.

* Google the flag of Sussex
 
If anyone is interested, here is a species list for Hinojosa. The mammal list is full, I think; that for birds includes the notable species, although there were a lot of domestics which I have not included (but no martlets, sadly):

Olive baboon
Mona monkey
Pig-tailed macaque
Japanese macaque
Black-capped capuchin
Ring-tailed lemur
Vervet monkey
Dromedary camel
European mouflon
Barbary sheep
Common zebra
Guanaco
Alpaca
Ankle cattle
Ring-tailed coati
Iberian wolf
Arctic fox
Black-backed jackal
Eurasian lynx
European brown bear
Jaguar
Tiger
African lion
Striped hyena
Mara
Crested porcupine
Red kangaroo

Western eurasian griffon vulture
Giant wood-rail
Abdim's Stork
Flamingo (uncertain species)
Grey-crowned crane
Sacred ibis
Scarlet ibis
Grey Peacock-Pheasant
Rhea
Ostrich
Emu
Peregrine falcon
Harris' hawk
Blue and gold macaw
Green-winged macaw

A couple of interesting (!) mixed exhibits: capuchins (from Africa, according to the sign) and lemurs, and vervets with a coati.
 
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...and here is is the list for Zoo Koki. As with Hinojosa, the ZTL list is a little out of date. Indian muntjac and jungle cat are possibly the most interesting mammals; the on-show pheasant collection mainly consists of the more commonly-seen species. I think there may be others off-show. It is very much the sort of place where you wander behind a building and find something in a "temporary" cage (I found the coatis having taken a wrong turn looking for a loo; I don't think they were supposed to be visible)....

Dingo
Raccoon
Ring-tailed coati
Jungle cat
Eurasian lynx
Jaguar
European mouflon
Crested porcupine
Mara
Guanaco
Dromedary camel
Himalayan tahr
Indian muntjac
Nilgai
Scimitar-horned oryx
Common zebra

Blue-eared pheasant
Brown-eared pheasant
Lady Amherst's pheasant
Cheer pheasant
Edwards's pheasant
Elliot's pheasant
Crested fireback pheasant
Golden pheasant
Nepalese kalij
Reeves's pheasant
Silver pheasant
Swinhoe's pheasant
Malayan crested fireback
Vietnamese pheasant
Mikado pheasant
White eared pheasant
Himalayan monal
Satyr tragopan
Temminck's tragopan
Grey junglefowl
Sri Lankan junglefowl
Barbary partridge
Red-legged partridge
Rock partridge
Greats curassow
Indian peafowl
Sacred ibis
Ducorp's corella
European turtle dove
European collared dove
Harris hawk
 
In the interest of completion: visited Safari Madrid (Aldea del Fresno) yesterday, and thoroughly enjoyed it - even if it is clearly a rather dodgy place, in parts.

Four elements to it:
  1. A bird garden - quite a big collection in rather small, unimaginative cages, set around a rectangular garden. It reminded me of the long-gone Merley Bird Gardens....
  2. "The Mini Zoo" - not the greatest set of cages, but on a different planet to the horrors at Hinojosa, with some cats, a few monkeys, wolves, birds of prey....
  3. The reptile house - clean and tidy, and large, but with mostly pretty familiar species, in vivaria that could be more imaginative in their presentation.
  4. The drive-round bit - public feeding means that cars are surrounded by animals. There is something exciting about having half a dozen zebra slobbering all over your windscreen. The place's star turns -a good sized group of black lechwe - are In a separate, fenced, paddock. Unlike most of the zoo, it has some trees and plants.....
 
...and, should you be interested, here is a list of the species on display at Safari Madrid, with a couple of birds still to identify. It's the sort of place where I'm sure other birds and reptiles are present but not on display - especially birds and reptiles.

"Mini Zoo"
Bobcat
Brown capuchin
Common genet
Crested porcupine
Grivet
Iberian wolf
Jaguar
Common Raccoon
Northern talapoin monkey
Puma
Striped hyena
Tiger

Andean condor
Emu
Eurasian griffon vulture
Golden eagle
Magellanic horned owl
Ostrich
Stellar's sea eagle
Steppe eagle

Drive-through area
Black lechwe, Scimitar-horned oryx, Blackbuck
Nilgai, Guanaco, Eland, Common Waterbuck, Spanish (?) red deer, Przewalski's horse, Ostrich, Emu
Tiger
Giraffe
Plains zebra, Barbary sheep, Mouflon, Fallow deer, Dromedary
Asian elephant
African lion
American bison, Przewalski's horse
Olive baboon, Common hippopotamus, Plains zebra, American black bear (not seen)

"Rapaces" show
Black-chested buzzard-eagle
Eurasian Griffon vulture
Harris hawk
Hooded vulture
Peregrine falcon
Steppe eagle
Possibly also: Serval, Iberian red fox (neither seen)

"Bird Corner"
Meerkat
Blue and gold macaw
Buffon' macaw
Green-winged macaw
Hyacinth macaw
Military macaw
Scarlet macaw
Monk parakeet
Nanday conure
Patagonian conure
Wagler's conure
Cuban Amazon
Blue-fronted Amazon
Orange-winged Amazon
Red-crowned Amazon
Red-lored Amazon
Yellow-naped Amazon
African grey parrot
Eclectus parrot
Fischer's lovebird
Peach-faced lovebird
Chattering lory
Rainbow lorikeet
Port Lincoln parakeet
Superb parrot
Ducorp's corella
Major Mitchell's cockatoo
European eagle owl
Spectacled owl
Golden pheasant
Kalij pheasant
Reeves' pheasant
Silver pheasant
Red-billed blue magpie
Kookaburra
Purple-crested turaco
Violaceous turaco
White-cheeked turaco
Carolina wood duck
Eurasian wigeon
Mandarin duck
Magellan goose
Mallard duck
Red-shouldered teal
White-faced whistling duck
Yellow-crowned bishop

Reptile House
1. Crocodile grotto
African dwarf crocodile
Alligator snapping turtle
American alligator
Broad-shouted caiman
Chinese softshell turtle
Nile crocodile
Snapping turtle
Spectacled caiman

2. Outdoor exhibits
African spurred tortoise
American alligator
Argus monitor
Green iguana
Leopard tortoise
Red tegu

3. House
Amazon tree boa
Australian frilled lizard
Beaded lizard
Blue-tongued skink
Bredl's python
Broad-snouted caiman
Bullsnake
Caiman lizard
California kingsnake
Carpet boa
Colombian rainbow boa
Collared lizard
East African egg-eating snake
Gila monster
Grey-banded kingsnake
Knight anole
Leaf-tailed gecko
New Caledonia bumpy gecko
Panther chameleon
Royal python
Spiny-tailed lizard
Spiny-tailed monitor
Sudan plated lizard
White-lipped python

Blue poison frog
Golden poison frog
Waxy monkey frog
 
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