Here is a very brief review of this animal collection i visited a few months ago. Campinas is a city in sao paulo state,about an hour and a half from the capital Sao Paulo. it has a population of about a million and a half people. The state university is very well known in latin america. In the city center there is a large park known as Bosque de Jequitibas. The park or forest was once a coffee plantation and the vegetation is quite striking. The Bosque de Jequitibas has the city zoo, natural history museum and a small aquarium. Most of the zoo animals are rescued or confiscated from the illegal trade and have been donated by the brazilian enviromental authorities. There is a lamentable lion exhibit which really is not needed nor does it serve any purpose, unless the lions were also confiscated. There is a female hippo next which has an acceptable exhibit. There is a very large waterfowl lake with a nice island for brown capuchin monkeys and also a family of tapirs. Another area held turtles and broad snouted caiman. A large aviary held blue and yellow macaws,seriema,currasow and chachalacas. other aviaries held different parrots and parakeets all confiscated according to the signs. There were also peacocks, touracos and mute swans. One pen held rhea and a grey brocket. A very nice exhibit held an active pair of neotropical river otters. Other brazilian mammals were tayras, ocelots and coendu in acceptable exhibits. The forest has free ranging agoutis, common marmosets and three toed sloths, the last sadly i did not see. At the center of the forest there is a building which seems to have been the coffe growers residence. this now holds a interesting natural history museum which has mostly brazilian specimens, including a large mounted marsh deer. It also had a small aquarium where the highlight was a saddled bichir. A small reptile house was closed because the snakes had actually been stolen. I saw some new animals enclousures under construction so the zoo will continue to grow. However the lions really should go to another collection and this zoo should continue to exhibit rescued brazilian fauna that need a home.
