Parque de Cotia (new zoo in São Paulo)

David Matos Mendes

David Matos Mendes

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
I thought it would be very interesting to start this new thread, to talk about a zoo that is being built near the city of São Paulo (wich for who doesn't know, already has one of the largest zoos in Latin America). The institution seems to be close to inauguration, belongs to the same owner of São Paulo Aquarium - ZooChat, and will also hold an aquatic park, for what it looks. Not much has been published about it yet, but it's known that the guest area of the zoo will be completely indoors. The structure seems fantastic in my point of view, specially the massive aviary that appears in the end. I just hope it gets to satisfactorily ally conservation to the profitable objectives. Check out some images that were recorded with a drone and published recently:

 
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David Matos Mendes said:
I thought it would be very interesting to start this new thread, to talk about a zoo that is being built near the city of São Paulo (wich for who doesn't know, already has one of the largest zoos in Latin America). The institution seems to be close to inauguration, belongs to the same owner of São Paulo Aquarium - ZooChat, and will also hold an aquatic park, for what it looks. Not much has been published about it yet, but it's known that the guest area of the zoo will be completely indoors. The structure seems fantastic in my point of view, specially the massive aviary that appears in the end. I just hope it gets to satisfactorily ally conservation to the profitable objectives. Check out some images that were recorded with a drone and published recently:

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That's great news! I really wan to visit this zoo now.
 
FelipeDBKO said:
The focus is on being an amusement more than zoological park though, right? And by that I mean more so than São Paulo Aquarium. :p
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I bet it will be very similar on objectives and purposes to São Paulo Aquarium... As I said, it's from the same owner, Anael Fahel
Purposes are so alike that they seem to have the intention to bring rarities of the same level of the aquarium... Some species were already mentioned, but nothing confirmed... They seem to be building a great structure, but I'm looking forward to see if they are actually going to have conservation programes for all these rare species they are about to bring... :rolleyes:
 
David Matos Mendes said:
I bet it will be very similar on objectives and purposes to São Paulo Aquarium... As I said, it's from the same owner, Anael Fahel
Purposes are so alike that they seem to have the intention to bring rarities of the same level of the aquarium... Some species were already mentioned, but nothing confirmed... They seem to be building a great structure, but I'm looking forward to see if they are actually going to have conservation programes for all these rare species they are about to bring... :rolleyes:
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I believe they will. I hope they also start some conservation programmes for native species, but I doubt they will be the zoo's main objective.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
What species are planned for the animal collection?
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Not sure yet, but from the images shared and some non official informations I've found, they will be keeping giraffes, lions and much probably elephants (species was not mentioned). It was said in other sources that they wanted to keep gorillas, but Belo Horizonte zoo director told me they haven't received any contact from Cotia park so far (BH zoo is by far the nearest institution they would get gorillas from, as it's the only in South America that does keep the species) Once the park is almost finished and they haven't even contacted the institution they are most likely to receive the animals from, they will either contact AZA, or not getting gorillas (at least for now). I am disconsidering EAZA because BH is part of it, so I really doubt they would contact any representer of the association in europe, once there's one much nearer from them.
Of course, all this could change if they are planing to open the park further ahead, so that would explain why they haven't started contacting institutions yet (Personally, I doubt it, once their enclosures seem to be almost finished). Let's see what happens...
 
Enzo said:
Some animals like ponies and possibly alpacas are in their respective exhibits.
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I don't think the animals seen in the video are alpacas, but llamas; and are being kept in the future giraffe exhibit, I think. I doubt they will dedicate a whole paddock like that one for them.
 
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Cotia park has already got an official name: Animalia park.
I guessed right when I thought the llamas were being temporarily held in that large paddock. The place is going to hold giraffes, zebras and other african species in a near future. There are also plans for rhinos and many big cat species to be kept in the park. The place is much probably gonna receive the giant otters São Paulo aquarium holds (the same ones that they denied to provide for the conservation program that was elaborated by AZAB).
 
David Matos Mendes said:
Cotia park has already got an official name: Animalia park.
I guessed right when I thought the llamas were being temporarily held in that large paddock. The place is going to hold giraffes, zebras and other african species in a near future. There are also plans for rhinos and many big cat species to be kept in the park. The place is much probably gonna receive the giant otters São Paulo aquarium holds (the same ones that they denied to provide for the conservation program that was elaborated by AZAB).
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Money talks ... not conservation.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Money talks ... not conservation.
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For sure... I firstly thought this park could be an exception to the simple objective of profit many private zoos are acused of, but now I unfortunately think things are not gonna be like this... They might participate studbooks for some species, but I'm afraid most of them will be there for simple exhibition and fake conservation. They've been developing a nice structure, but it helps nothing if they don't actually do the job zoos are supposed to do.
 
FelipeDBKO said:
Giant otters? AZAB? Is there any thread or other source that contextualizes that? :confused:
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There aren't any threads about it yet, but you gave me a good idea. Gonna create one as soon as I can. I've acquired informations about these giant otters and the studbook of their species with zoo profesionals of different institutions I've talked to, and it's such a curious story.
 
arafan said:
Just read on the EAZA TAG report 2020 that Cotia will probably receive Indian rhinos. An interesting choice, as I don't think there are any in South America at the moment?
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That's nice to know, for sure. Not sure if they should focus in asian species when we've got a lot to worry about with our own species, but I hope they at least try to breed the rhinos. If I remember well, I saw some pictures of an indian temple themed paddock in Cotia zoo some time ago. This might be the place the animals will be kept... I'm quite sure no other zoos in South America keep the species indeed. Afaik, the last individual kept around here was the single male from SP zoo.
 
David Matos Mendes said:
That's nice to know, for sure. Not sure if they should focus in asian species when we've got a lot to worry about with our own species, but I hope they at least try to breed the rhinos. If I remember well, I saw some pictures of an indian temple themed paddock in Cotia zoo some time ago. This might be the place the animals will be kept... I'm quite sure no other zoos in South America keep the species indeed. Afaik, the last individual kept around here was the single male from SP zoo.
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I think the might only hold single sex individuals as breeding has been banned
 
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