Zoo Aquarium de Madrid Spanish zoos

robmv

robmv

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
I am currently planning a trip to Spain to visit some zoos and I'd be really interested to hear from other members about any experience in this country.

Although there are some well-known zoos such as Barcelona, Madrid, Fuengirola, etc., there seem to be many more zoos and safari parks that you hear very little about. Any suggestions along these lines would be much appreciated.

I am particularly keen to find out more about Faunia (just outside Madrid). I have heard that they have Chinstrap and Adelie penguins - enough to reason to visit - but I would to know more (there website is pretty useless).
 
I do not have much experience of zoos recently, but on historical grounds Barcelona Zoo is the best, both from design and animal perspective. An added plus is that it is right in the bustling city center.

I hear that Madrid Zoo - always a big zoo full of concrete - has recently departed from that dour image and is now building much more naturalistic exhibits. A new gorilla house and a new savannah (with 3 new rhinos? - please find out for me if you can).

Two finer smaller zoos are Fuengirola Zoo and Jerez de la Frontera. Fuengirola is nicely landscaped and extremely well managed. It is an Asian and African tropical themed zoo and has some unusual animals (Bornean orang breeding, Malayan tapir breeding, anoa, babirusa, sitatunga, pygmy hippo, colobus monkey, gorilla, lemurs). Jerez is more oriented towards African hoofstock and local species (lynx, Spanish wolves, vultures, waldrapp, black stork). Keep a definite look out for the Iberian lynx breeding programme! It is perhaps far more spartan but still an interesting visit.

The last I would advise you to visit is Terra Natura. It is a biodome zoo with animals divided into congruent continents. Species to look for are dhole, gaur, Asian lion, Indian rhino, Sumatran tiger and the South American realm with titis, jaguar, peccary, ocelot. A great treat is the giant herd of Asian elephants (2 groups).
 
Actually Fuengirola may look beautiful for the visitors, but many enclosures are awful for tthe animals and don`t meet their needs at all!! It`s a very small zoo and most enclosures are very small, and for example those for the chimps, gorillas and gibbons for example are totally inadequat to keep apes. Much too open, no possibilities to hide and hardly any climbing structures!!

The Madrid Zoo has a huge animal collection with many interesting species but at the moment most of the enclosures are concrete and pretty terrible for the animals.

Barcelona Zoo seems the best to me (from the spanish city zoos), very interesting collection (especially monekys) and the enclsoures are mostly acceptable. Nothing really good like for example in Apenheul but not as bad as in Madrid or Fuengirla.
 
Barcelona also has a very good aquarium on the marina which was opened about 5 years ago.

The Tenerife Loro Parque is the place to go if you like parrots.
 
Hi Rob,

the following is a list of Spanish zoos on an 'anti' wesite:

Mundomar, Benidorm (Alicante)
Asociación Proarca de Noé, Benimantell (Alicante)
Río Safari Elche, Elche (Alicante)
Safari Aitana, Penáguila (Alicante)
Parque Safari Costablanca, S.L. - Safari Park Vergel, Vergel (Alicante)
Jardín del Papagayo, Benicarlo (Castellón)
Parque de la Naturaleza "Fauna Ibérica", El Rebollar (Requena) (Valencia)
Devesa Gardens, Valencia (Valencia)
L´Oceanogràfic, Valencia (Valencia)
Jardín Zoológico de Valencia, Valencia (Valencia)

Aquarium Madrid, Madrid (Madrid)
Faunia, Valdebernardo (Madrid)
Safari de Madrid, Aldea del Fresno (Madrid)
Zoo - Aquarium de Madrid, Madrid (Madrid)
Zoo Parque Grande, Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid)

Parque de los Pinos, Plasencia (Cáceres)
Zoológico de Almendralejo, Almendralejo (Badajoz)

Parque Cinegético "El Hosquillo", Villalba de la Sierra (Cuenca)
Zoológico Municipal de Guadalajara, Guadalajara (Guadalajara)
Zoo Granjas Koki, Santo Domingo - Cudilla (Toledo)

Acuario Mallorca, Manacor (Mallorca)
Aquàrium Cap Blanc "Cova de Ses Llagostes", Sant Antoni de Portmany (Ibiza)
La Reserva del Galatzó, Puigpunyent (Mallorca)
Marineland Mallorca, Calvià (Mallorca)
Natura Park, Santa Eugènia (Mallorca)
Zoo-Safari Mentz, Sa Coma (Islas Baleares)

Crocodile Park "Terra Exotica", Isla Cristina (Huelva)
Fuengirola Zoo, Fuengirola (Málaga)
Parque de la Naturaleza Selwo, Estepona (Málaga)
Parque de las Ciecias (Mariposario Tropical), Granada (Granada)
Parque Ornitológico Loro Sexi, Almuñecar (Granada)
Parque Temático Mini-Hollywood, Tabernas (Almería)
Parque Zoológico de Carmona, Carmona (Sevilla)
Parque Zoológico de Castellar, Castellar de la Frontera (Cádiz)
Reserva Natural El Castillo de las Guardas, El Castillo de las Guardas (Sevilla)
Reserva Natural Trance de Aragón, Utrera (Sevilla)
Sea Life Benalmádena, Benalmádena Costa (Málaga)
Lobo Park, Antequera (Málaga)
Selwo Marina, Benalmádena Costa (Málaga)
Senda El Retiro, Churriana (Málaga)
Zoobotánico de Jerez, Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz)
Zoo del Parque Municipal Prudencio Navarro, Huelva (Huelva)
Zoológico de Sevilla, Sevilla (Sevilla)
Zoológico de Córdoba, Córdoba (Córdoba)

A few others that don't seem to be on the list (if they are then under a different name):
Aqualeon Zoo, Albinyana
Cabarceno Zoo, Obregon (Parque de la Naturaleza de Cabarceno)
Bioparc Valencia, Apartado de Correos 15005, 46015, Valencia
Mallorca Safari Park (Auto Safari Reserva Africana), San Lorenzo
Terra Natura theme park, Benidorm, Foia del Vredader 1, 03502, Benidorm (Alicante),
Faunia(Parque Biologico De Madrid,S.A), Avda. de las Comunidades 28, Madrid
Zoo de Santillana y Parque Cuaternario, Avenida Antonio Sandi 12, 39330 Santillana del Mar, Cantabria

You know of any more?

This is a good kick off for planning a tour I think. Forget the islands for now I reckon. Have been to Barcelona Zoo and Aquarium, Madrid Zoo and Mundomar. Would happily visit the first two again, not so fussed about Mundomar though! Do you know of any more?

Sam
 
Zoo Faunia outside of Madrid is going to receive a pair of manatees from Guyana. In exchange they are going to fund a new Arapaima Aquarium at the Guyana Zoo...
 
One to avoid would be a safari park in Mallorca. I can't remember the name, but it was awful to say the least. 2 Hippos were kept in a enclosed pen with a tiny pool and barely any room to move. Lions and Tigers were kept together and Chimps were kept in dirty cages seperately with only a tire to amuse themselves.
 
hadn't realised till now that Madrid now have a pair of giant panda from the Chengdu breeding centre in China, i hope they are as successful as they were when they last held giant panda.
 
robmv said:
I am particularly keen to find out more about Faunia (just outside Madrid). I have heard that they have Chinstrap and Adelie penguins - enough to reason to visit
Click to expand...

Are these rare in captivity? I googled them, don't think I've ever seen them before. They're really unusual :)
 
robmv said:
I am particularly keen to find out more about Faunia (just outside Madrid). I have heard that they have Chinstrap and Adelie penguins - enough to reason to visit - but I would to know more (there website is pretty useless).
Click to expand...
I was in madrid a couple of weeks ago and i also visited faunia. Its a nice park with a couple of interesting species and exhibits, but not my favorite. Faunia is far more naturalistic then madrid zoo, but somehow it didn't realy impress me. I can't tell why, maybe i expected to much of it. (they do have chinstraps ( Pygoscelis antarctica - Keelbandpinguin on Flickr - Photo Sharing! ), but i couldn't find any adeliepenguins unfortunately)

@ jelle: about the rhinos in madrid zoo, the white rhinos that is. They were in 2 enclosures. I think the animals were 1,2 with the male living alone in the "old" rhino-enclosure and the 2 females living in the former african elefant enclosure (together with a couple of male dorcasgazelles).
 
kiang said:
Five more Spanish lynx have been born to "Saliega" and "Brisa", mother and daughter lynx at the breeding centre near Huelva./QUOTE]

The only female of breeding age in a mainstream zoo at Jerez is reportedly pregnant and due very soon (found newsreport in Spanish).

The intensive breeding programme at Projecto Lynce Iberico had bred 10 females up to February 10. All pairings are based on mixing the different genetic lineages to the max. ;)
Click to expand...
 
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