If paradise exists in Mexico, for a zoofan it can only be zoomat. It is The regional zoo that sets the grade in this country. Unrivaled in the exhibition, breeding, conservation, reintroduction, and research of the species of the southern state of Chiapas.
Zoomat is located in the capital city of Chiapas, Tuxtla Gutierrez. The official name is Zoologico regional Miguel Alvarez del Toro. Don Miguel arrived in Chiapas in 1942 as a young biologist to direct a small zoo and natural history museum. But MAT saw the potential to build a regional zoological collection and worked hard at building a unique collection. He published widely on the wildlife of Chiapas. In 1981 the zoo was moved to a large hillside forest known as the Zapotal of about 100 hectacres, only half of which is used as the zoo. Don Miguel passed away on the 2 of august of 1996, still a zoo director, till his last day. Zoomat was named in his honor and his amazing heritage continues.
Your bus or taxi takes up the Zapotal hill to the zoo entrance. Near a waterfall there are some nice pools with slider turtles. Then you enter the forest- Agoutis scury around, and when the zoo opens at nine the place is alive with spectacular vegation and the calls of chachalacas and black howler monkeys that are free ranging occupants.
The first stop is the crocodile house. Inside are models, skeltons and juveniles of the 3 crocodilians of Chiapas, which are morlett´s and american crocs and the unique chiapas spectacled caiman. Only zoomat exhibits and breeds the later. Outside are nice large pools for all 3 species. In front is a nice exhibit for water birds which held white ibis, brown pelicans, muscovy ducks and tree ducks. The bird aviaries are traditional with heavy netting to keep people from feeding the birds. This unfortunate for photography. The first avaries are for yellow headed parrots, mealy parrots, white fronted parrots and orange fronted parrots. All breed at zoomat.next is a nice medium sized free flight aviary with various species. Then there is the only nocturnal house in Mexico. Here are pacas, nine banded armadillos, tree porcupines, 2 species of opussums, 3 species of skunks, very active cacomixtles, kinkajous and native bats. After is a nice vivarium with many spiders and beetles. Then this building section ends with the zoological museum. Various mounted specimens and skeletons explain the importance of wildlife and enviroment in Chiapas. But also here is the indoor aviary of the quetzals, which were the breeding pair is. Zoomat has bred 10 quetzals since 2004. Sadly,Don Miguel never lived to witness the greatest achiviement of Zoomat. I read in the guidebook that some of the zoomat born quetzals went to a U.S. institution. Which one ?
Onward outside to very nice open exhibits for raccoons, grey foxes and coatis. A large island holds a group of spider monkeys, which have been at zoomat since the beginning. Also zoomat reestablished spider monkeys at the Cañon del Sumidero national park, where the primates had been eliminated by the illegal pet trade. A very large pen for coyotes follows.
Then there is a long row of very tall aviaries for birds of prey of chiapas,
of interest are the collared forest falcons and king vultures.
There is now a reptile house for temperate forest reptiles and amphibians. Tree frogs, fer de lance, skinks and king snakes are here. Outside are large pools for the native chiapas turtle species which are definitely not sliders. After a very large pen for white tail deer, there are some nice open exhibits for iguanas and yet another reptile house. ( Don Miguel liked herps, no doubt). Here are boa contrictor, cantil, tropical rattlesnakes and yet more fer de lance. Another zoomat special, the black beaded lizard. a subspecies named for Don Miguel himself. And of course, zoomat breeds them. Outside there is next a very large open exhibit for tamandua mexicana, which are really active here. And yes, zoomat also breeds them.
Then there is avery large aviary for scarlet macaws.
Zoomat is the only mexican zoo that exhibits all six feline species found in this country. There, exhibits are large for all of them. Jaguarundis, margays, ocelots, bobcats, puma and jaguar are all here. Then you arrive at the large outdoor quetzal exhibit. here is another pair of trogons born at zoomat. Then there is a nice exhibit for neotropical otters with underwater viewing.
By now, you are at highest point of the zoo and lovely open pens follow. Collared peccaries and white lipped peccaries are here and again both species breed at zoomat. There is a lovely exhibit for the breeding pair of baird´s tapirs. Zoomat has always held this species and even exported them to bejing zoo in the eighties in exchange for the chapultepec pandas ( y saludos a los colegas chinos de zoochat). Now are more aviaries with toucans, toucanets, more parrots and many cracids including the horned guan which are the symbol of zoomat and of course are bred here.
Going downhill are large open exhibits for tayras and grisons which are active here and also have bred here. A bachelor group of 2 baird´s tapirs lives in a large pen. At the end there are military macaws, sadly exterminated by the illegal pet trade in Chiapas and a island for the confined black howler monkeys which like their free roaming neighbors are usually heard but not seen.
I know this sounds very corny, but zoomat is a place that makes me proud of my country.
Zoomat is located in the capital city of Chiapas, Tuxtla Gutierrez. The official name is Zoologico regional Miguel Alvarez del Toro. Don Miguel arrived in Chiapas in 1942 as a young biologist to direct a small zoo and natural history museum. But MAT saw the potential to build a regional zoological collection and worked hard at building a unique collection. He published widely on the wildlife of Chiapas. In 1981 the zoo was moved to a large hillside forest known as the Zapotal of about 100 hectacres, only half of which is used as the zoo. Don Miguel passed away on the 2 of august of 1996, still a zoo director, till his last day. Zoomat was named in his honor and his amazing heritage continues.
Your bus or taxi takes up the Zapotal hill to the zoo entrance. Near a waterfall there are some nice pools with slider turtles. Then you enter the forest- Agoutis scury around, and when the zoo opens at nine the place is alive with spectacular vegation and the calls of chachalacas and black howler monkeys that are free ranging occupants.
The first stop is the crocodile house. Inside are models, skeltons and juveniles of the 3 crocodilians of Chiapas, which are morlett´s and american crocs and the unique chiapas spectacled caiman. Only zoomat exhibits and breeds the later. Outside are nice large pools for all 3 species. In front is a nice exhibit for water birds which held white ibis, brown pelicans, muscovy ducks and tree ducks. The bird aviaries are traditional with heavy netting to keep people from feeding the birds. This unfortunate for photography. The first avaries are for yellow headed parrots, mealy parrots, white fronted parrots and orange fronted parrots. All breed at zoomat.next is a nice medium sized free flight aviary with various species. Then there is the only nocturnal house in Mexico. Here are pacas, nine banded armadillos, tree porcupines, 2 species of opussums, 3 species of skunks, very active cacomixtles, kinkajous and native bats. After is a nice vivarium with many spiders and beetles. Then this building section ends with the zoological museum. Various mounted specimens and skeletons explain the importance of wildlife and enviroment in Chiapas. But also here is the indoor aviary of the quetzals, which were the breeding pair is. Zoomat has bred 10 quetzals since 2004. Sadly,Don Miguel never lived to witness the greatest achiviement of Zoomat. I read in the guidebook that some of the zoomat born quetzals went to a U.S. institution. Which one ?
Onward outside to very nice open exhibits for raccoons, grey foxes and coatis. A large island holds a group of spider monkeys, which have been at zoomat since the beginning. Also zoomat reestablished spider monkeys at the Cañon del Sumidero national park, where the primates had been eliminated by the illegal pet trade. A very large pen for coyotes follows.
Then there is a long row of very tall aviaries for birds of prey of chiapas,
of interest are the collared forest falcons and king vultures.
There is now a reptile house for temperate forest reptiles and amphibians. Tree frogs, fer de lance, skinks and king snakes are here. Outside are large pools for the native chiapas turtle species which are definitely not sliders. After a very large pen for white tail deer, there are some nice open exhibits for iguanas and yet another reptile house. ( Don Miguel liked herps, no doubt). Here are boa contrictor, cantil, tropical rattlesnakes and yet more fer de lance. Another zoomat special, the black beaded lizard. a subspecies named for Don Miguel himself. And of course, zoomat breeds them. Outside there is next a very large open exhibit for tamandua mexicana, which are really active here. And yes, zoomat also breeds them.
Then there is avery large aviary for scarlet macaws.
Zoomat is the only mexican zoo that exhibits all six feline species found in this country. There, exhibits are large for all of them. Jaguarundis, margays, ocelots, bobcats, puma and jaguar are all here. Then you arrive at the large outdoor quetzal exhibit. here is another pair of trogons born at zoomat. Then there is a nice exhibit for neotropical otters with underwater viewing.
By now, you are at highest point of the zoo and lovely open pens follow. Collared peccaries and white lipped peccaries are here and again both species breed at zoomat. There is a lovely exhibit for the breeding pair of baird´s tapirs. Zoomat has always held this species and even exported them to bejing zoo in the eighties in exchange for the chapultepec pandas ( y saludos a los colegas chinos de zoochat). Now are more aviaries with toucans, toucanets, more parrots and many cracids including the horned guan which are the symbol of zoomat and of course are bred here.
Going downhill are large open exhibits for tayras and grisons which are active here and also have bred here. A bachelor group of 2 baird´s tapirs lives in a large pen. At the end there are military macaws, sadly exterminated by the illegal pet trade in Chiapas and a island for the confined black howler monkeys which like their free roaming neighbors are usually heard but not seen.
I know this sounds very corny, but zoomat is a place that makes me proud of my country.
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. Their last female died in 1996 and this was the last specimen in Europe.
) that would make any zoo-enthusiast salivate over.
