There are two safari parks close to Madrid, each of which goes a little under the radar. Does anyone have any experience of either of them? The more established-seeming is "Safari Madrid" (Aldea del Fresno). Oddly, in the U.K. I couldn't access their website, which returned a "forbidden" message (!). I think they have black lechwe there, which makes a visit essential; according to the website (not forbidden once out of the UK) they also have striped hyena, new this year, which is a cut above what might be expected. The second is "Zoo Safari Fauna Aventura", which has a fairly risible website. This shows pronghorns, which i suspect is a case of artistic license. My prejudices suggest that both places will be fairly second-rate, but if anyone has a different perspective I would be very grateful to hear from them.
There's a few videos of Safari Madrid on youtube that'll give you an idea. I will be in the area early next week, but a drive around safari in their current heat is not what I am planning
I have a guidebook to one of these places (can't remember which one without digging it out). In it is a photo of a female rhino with young calf - in a mixed reserve with baboons and (American) black bears...
Thanks, all. Keeper: do you know more about these two places? Using Google translate, I have read a little on the Spanish zoos forum. Some fairly grim events are alluded to, relating to Zoo Safari....
Hi sooty mangabey: I only known Safari Aldea del Fresno, but my only one visit was in 1979. Today seems they try to be more in the average for the spanish zoo/safari standars than in the 80's-90's but still not very good place for me. They have a few interesting Species -at least for the Spanish zoos- like lechwe waterbuck or american black bears as you known. But they must improve more and more. For the other place :I have not idea for where it's located exactly, or Species, area, or number of visitors, or something like that.
I haven´t been on any of them, since I live pretty far from Madrid and don´t seems to worth the trip, but if you are thinking on visit one of them, I totally would avoid Fauna Aventura. According with the pictures I have seen and the experience of people that have visited it, seems to be the worst zoo we have in Spain. No interesting species, horrible enclosures, and animals in bad conditions. And also the grim events you have read about. In fact, I´m surprised that place is still open... Keeper, Zoo Safari Fauna Aventura is the one at Hinojosa de San Vicente, Toledo
So, today I visited Zoo Safari Fauna Aventura (Hinojosa) - against the advice of some, it must be said! I'll probably write more about this elsewhere, but, for the moment, I would say that it is possibly the worst zoo I have ever been to: I think I've seen worse in various African countries (but I'm not sure it's fair to compare Spain with the Congo, or Morocco), in Hungary many years ago (but those zoos have all now made huge improvements) and at the infamous Genk Zoo, in Belgium (which is now long gone). Pretty grim accommodation for the animals - three bears, in tiny, featureless cages, did especially poorly. A free-ranging zebra. Plenty of other real safety issues (no stand off barriers, although the rather worrying owner did mime out not to get too close....). The owner - he features heavily on the website - followed me around for my whole visit, and shouted at me a great deal. I wasn't sure whether this was cheerful shouting, or angry shouting. It's only the third zoo visit I have ever had where I have been chaperoned by the director (the aforementioned Genk was one other, and the owners there were mad, and Glasgow was the other, where the late Richard O'Grady literally kicked me up the arse for having come in to his zoo!). Half an hour away is another very peculiar zoo: Zoo Koki. Not a good zoo, really, but on a different planet to Hinojosa. Lots of pheasants. Singleton ungulates. A few carnivores. Pretty shabby housing. But nothing compared to its near-neighbour.....
I think that you and I are neck-and-neck at around 370 zoos each all-time, and if this place is the absolute nadir of zoological experiences then that is really saying something! The website makes it seem colourful, cheerful and a welcoming safari adventure...perhaps to entice folks through the entrance gate and then shock them with the grim surroundings.
I can't slip behind a colonial commoner! (Colonial commoner - Witterpedia.net). Fortunately, at least one new zoo in Spain over the coming weeks, and one in Poland in September, will see me nudge ahead of you again. Phew! It's a complete fiction! (Apart from the pictures of the rather seedy owner, and those of the rather grim looking catering facilities). There are suggestions of elephant, chimps, gemsbok, even pronghorns - none of which are to be seen in this nasty little place (thank goodness).
I was enjoying this thread but within the last few posts it has become endearing and very amusing. The review of a shockingly bad zoo from an experienced visitor made me laugh out loud! And I have also learned a new phrase in colonial commoner. Happy days. And when you posted this thread I had a feeling you'd visit the afore-mentioned parks regardless Sooty!
You dare to call me a "colonial commoner"? Haha! Egads, such mirth from a man who likely has a tattoo of a "martlet" somewhere on his body.* Either that, or a Portsmouth football club crest with the words "Nico Kranjcar Forever" emblazoned in the center. I'm at 372 zoos and to be honest that total will not change for at least a full year or even two years...but then I'll hopefully launch another Snowleopard Trip and add 40 zoos to my lifetime number. * Google the flag of Sussex
If anyone is interested, here is a species list for Hinojosa. The mammal list is full, I think; that for birds includes the notable species, although there were a lot of domestics which I have not included (but no martlets, sadly): Olive baboon Mona monkey Pig-tailed macaque Japanese macaque Black-capped capuchin Ring-tailed lemur Vervet monkey Dromedary camel European mouflon Barbary sheep Common zebra Guanaco Alpaca Ankle cattle Ring-tailed coati Iberian wolf Arctic fox Black-backed jackal Eurasian lynx European brown bear Jaguar Tiger African lion Striped hyena Mara Crested porcupine Red kangaroo Western eurasian griffon vulture Giant wood-rail Abdim's Stork Flamingo (uncertain species) Grey-crowned crane Sacred ibis Scarlet ibis Grey Peacock-Pheasant Rhea Ostrich Emu Peregrine falcon Harris' hawk Blue and gold macaw Green-winged macaw A couple of interesting (!) mixed exhibits: capuchins (from Africa, according to the sign) and lemurs, and vervets with a coati.
...and here is is the list for Zoo Koki. As with Hinojosa, the ZTL list is a little out of date. Indian muntjac and jungle cat are possibly the most interesting mammals; the on-show pheasant collection mainly consists of the more commonly-seen species. I think there may be others off-show. It is very much the sort of place where you wander behind a building and find something in a "temporary" cage (I found the coatis having taken a wrong turn looking for a loo; I don't think they were supposed to be visible).... Dingo Raccoon Ring-tailed coati Jungle cat Eurasian lynx Jaguar European mouflon Crested porcupine Mara Guanaco Dromedary camel Himalayan tahr Indian muntjac Nilgai Scimitar-horned oryx Common zebra Blue-eared pheasant Brown-eared pheasant Lady Amherst's pheasant Cheer pheasant Edwards's pheasant Elliot's pheasant Crested fireback pheasant Golden pheasant Nepalese kalij Reeves's pheasant Silver pheasant Swinhoe's pheasant Malayan crested fireback Vietnamese pheasant Mikado pheasant White eared pheasant Himalayan monal Satyr tragopan Temminck's tragopan Grey junglefowl Sri Lankan junglefowl Barbary partridge Red-legged partridge Rock partridge Greats curassow Indian peafowl Sacred ibis Ducorp's corella European turtle dove European collared dove Harris hawk
In the interest of completion: visited Safari Madrid (Aldea del Fresno) yesterday, and thoroughly enjoyed it - even if it is clearly a rather dodgy place, in parts. Four elements to it: A bird garden - quite a big collection in rather small, unimaginative cages, set around a rectangular garden. It reminded me of the long-gone Merley Bird Gardens.... "The Mini Zoo" - not the greatest set of cages, but on a different planet to the horrors at Hinojosa, with some cats, a few monkeys, wolves, birds of prey.... The reptile house - clean and tidy, and large, but with mostly pretty familiar species, in vivaria that could be more imaginative in their presentation. The drive-round bit - public feeding means that cars are surrounded by animals. There is something exciting about having half a dozen zebra slobbering all over your windscreen. The place's star turns -a good sized group of black lechwe - are In a separate, fenced, paddock. Unlike most of the zoo, it has some trees and plants.....
If anyone seeks pictures of these places, or indeed other zoos (mainly) in Germany or the Netherlands, I can recommend the Flickr pages of @Trebaruna - once of this parish, but not seen for quite a while, but a regular contributor to the Spanish zoo forum and, as evidenced here, an outstanding photographer: https://www.flickr.com/photos/trebaruna/albums/with/72157654722908390.
...and, should you be interested, here is a list of the species on display at Safari Madrid, with a couple of birds still to identify. It's the sort of place where I'm sure other birds and reptiles are present but not on display - especially birds and reptiles. "Mini Zoo" Bobcat Brown capuchin Common genet Crested porcupine Grivet Iberian wolf Jaguar Common Raccoon Northern talapoin monkey Puma Striped hyena Tiger Andean condor Emu Eurasian griffon vulture Golden eagle Magellanic horned owl Ostrich Stellar's sea eagle Steppe eagle Drive-through area Black lechwe, Scimitar-horned oryx, Blackbuck Nilgai, Guanaco, Eland, Common Waterbuck, Spanish (?) red deer, Przewalski's horse, Ostrich, Emu Tiger Giraffe Plains zebra, Barbary sheep, Mouflon, Fallow deer, Dromedary Asian elephant African lion American bison, Przewalski's horse Olive baboon, Common hippopotamus, Plains zebra, American black bear (not seen) "Rapaces" show Black-chested buzzard-eagle Eurasian Griffon vulture Harris hawk Hooded vulture Peregrine falcon Steppe eagle Possibly also: Serval, Iberian red fox (neither seen) "Bird Corner" Meerkat Blue and gold macaw Buffon' macaw Green-winged macaw Hyacinth macaw Military macaw Scarlet macaw Monk parakeet Nanday conure Patagonian conure Wagler's conure Cuban Amazon Blue-fronted Amazon Orange-winged Amazon Red-crowned Amazon Red-lored Amazon Yellow-naped Amazon African grey parrot Eclectus parrot Fischer's lovebird Peach-faced lovebird Chattering lory Rainbow lorikeet Port Lincoln parakeet Superb parrot Ducorp's corella Major Mitchell's cockatoo European eagle owl Spectacled owl Golden pheasant Kalij pheasant Reeves' pheasant Silver pheasant Red-billed blue magpie Kookaburra Purple-crested turaco Violaceous turaco White-cheeked turaco Carolina wood duck Eurasian wigeon Mandarin duck Magellan goose Mallard duck Red-shouldered teal White-faced whistling duck Yellow-crowned bishop Reptile House 1. Crocodile grotto African dwarf crocodile Alligator snapping turtle American alligator Broad-shouted caiman Chinese softshell turtle Nile crocodile Snapping turtle Spectacled caiman 2. Outdoor exhibits African spurred tortoise American alligator Argus monitor Green iguana Leopard tortoise Red tegu 3. House Amazon tree boa Australian frilled lizard Beaded lizard Blue-tongued skink Bredl's python Broad-snouted caiman Bullsnake Caiman lizard California kingsnake Carpet boa Colombian rainbow boa Collared lizard East African egg-eating snake Gila monster Grey-banded kingsnake Knight anole Leaf-tailed gecko New Caledonia bumpy gecko Panther chameleon Royal python Spiny-tailed lizard Spiny-tailed monitor Sudan plated lizard White-lipped python Blue poison frog Golden poison frog Waxy monkey frog
