nicholas
Well-Known Member
After visiting a few Colombian zoos I thought I'd give a short review of the ones I visited. Generally, Colombian zoos have a very high standard for Latin America. They even rival some European ones when compared for husbandry and enclosures. However, most enclosures are of the cage type or with moats. Landscape immersion and other "modern" zoo architecture themes have not yet been incorporated in the designs. As a whole, enclosure size is smaller then one would want, but not as bad as sometimes heard. Unfortunately, cats and primates are often kept in smaller cages where as birds often have plenty of room.
All zoos in Colombia make up for what they lack in design and husbandry by being really progressive when it comes to outreach programs. They all have education for local schools about ways to preserve local fauna and many travel around from school to school teaching these matters as well as sustainable waste management and other things. In the near future I believe Colombian zoos will have husbandry comparable to any European zoo as they have a strong will to improve.
Zoologico Santa Fe is located in beautiful cloud forest about 1,5-2 hours from Bogota. It has a wide variety of colombian fauna, as well as tigers and lion. They are very proud of their jaguars which breed very well. Other things of particular interest is white-footed tamarin and tayras. The zoo is quite old and built on a steep slope in the forest. It gets a little dark in some places due to the dark stones which make up all the path ways and the heavy forest cover. They have a wonderful breeding group of Lowland tapirs.
Cafam Zoologico is located on the grounds of holiday paradise Cafam. It's small but among the best zoos in Colombia. All animals have ample space and it's a haven for bird lovers. Scarlet, greenwing and Buffon's macaws breed in a huge aviary. Like all other colombian zoos they have Whoolly Monkeys and the group in Cafam has a huge dome where they can climb and forage. Lots of tucans and arrassaris are found in a cylindrical breeding aviary which is divided into smaller compartments like a cake. A single Deroptyus accipitrinus fuscifrons was the only non colombian bird. Two species of titi monkeys, Callicebus torqatus and Callicebus cupreus discolor shared an enclosure and a pair of white footed tamarins had babies on my visit.
Reviews of the zoo at Piscilago and Santa Fe in Medellin will follow.
All zoos in Colombia make up for what they lack in design and husbandry by being really progressive when it comes to outreach programs. They all have education for local schools about ways to preserve local fauna and many travel around from school to school teaching these matters as well as sustainable waste management and other things. In the near future I believe Colombian zoos will have husbandry comparable to any European zoo as they have a strong will to improve.
Zoologico Santa Fe is located in beautiful cloud forest about 1,5-2 hours from Bogota. It has a wide variety of colombian fauna, as well as tigers and lion. They are very proud of their jaguars which breed very well. Other things of particular interest is white-footed tamarin and tayras. The zoo is quite old and built on a steep slope in the forest. It gets a little dark in some places due to the dark stones which make up all the path ways and the heavy forest cover. They have a wonderful breeding group of Lowland tapirs.
Cafam Zoologico is located on the grounds of holiday paradise Cafam. It's small but among the best zoos in Colombia. All animals have ample space and it's a haven for bird lovers. Scarlet, greenwing and Buffon's macaws breed in a huge aviary. Like all other colombian zoos they have Whoolly Monkeys and the group in Cafam has a huge dome where they can climb and forage. Lots of tucans and arrassaris are found in a cylindrical breeding aviary which is divided into smaller compartments like a cake. A single Deroptyus accipitrinus fuscifrons was the only non colombian bird. Two species of titi monkeys, Callicebus torqatus and Callicebus cupreus discolor shared an enclosure and a pair of white footed tamarins had babies on my visit.
Reviews of the zoo at Piscilago and Santa Fe in Medellin will follow.
