I was just looking at the Temaikèn Biopark website and pictures in the gallery and it looks like an impressive facility. Has anyone been there or knows more about it?
Yes, I have been there many times. There are a few pictures in the gallery. It's a great place. However it doesn't have a large number of species, but most of the exhibits are big and are filled with vegetation. The facilities are good, it has underwater viewing of hippos, alligators, tapirs and tigers. Temaiken has a place called "Lugar de las Aves" (The Bird's Place) which is dedicated to birds from the whole world; it's very modern and has many species that no other zoo in Argentina has. The place won one of the AZA Significant Achievement Award (2010). It's definitely the best zoo in Argentina in terms of facilities and enclosures. It's a nice place. If you want to know something more, just tell me.
Well, numerous zoos in Argentina have many species of birds, but most of them are South American species like blue and yellow macaw, toco toucan, rheas, etc. Temaikén has a large collection of birds: some of them live with mammals, and and most of them live at "The Bird's Place", which is is divided into five large aviaries: America (mostly South America), Oceania, Africa and Eurasia. Most bird species (except those of South America) living in Temaiken can not be found anywhere else in Argentina, like Southern Cassowary, Southern Ground Hornbill, Saddle-billed Stork, African Spoonbill, and more. However, almost all of these species are easy to find in zoos from other countries.
Is there anything this zoo keeps that is uniqely Argentinian? Like how only Australia has platypuses?
Mmm...I do not think so. Maybe some species that belong to the family Ctenomyidae (tuco-tucos), but I'm not 100% sure. Argentina has thirty three species and most of them are endemic to Argentina. I know that some regional zoos have tuco-tucos, mainly argentine tuco-tuco (Ctenomys argentinus) and southern tuco-tuco (Ctenomys australis). According to ISIS, Buenos Aires Zoo is the only zoo that houses argentine grey fox (Lycalopex griseus) but I'm pretty sure that al least a zoo in Chile must have some, becuase is an animal that is easy to find in that country. Argentina has two big oceanariums, both of them have southern elephant seals. I do not know if another place also houses them. There was a place in Japan, but as far as I know it died a few years ago. ISIS says that there is one Northern elephant seal in the san Diego Zoo, but but doesn't says nothing about southern elephant seal. Those oceanariums here do not appear in ISIS, so maybe there are others places that have southern but don't appear too. No idea about birds or reptiles.
I know that Temaiken has Chlamyphorus truncatus and Chaetophractus villosus. I'm not completely sure about the pichi armadillos, but I think that Temaiken has them, however the specie might not be on exhibition because Temaiken has a big breeding center where they have species which are not at the zoo. If you want I can try to find out. Regarding other zoos in Argentina... it's difficult to know because just a few zoos give a complete list of their inhabitants, and animals like this tend to be omitted. But I sure that some zoos have pichi armadillo because they are realy common here, they can be easily seen in the wild, and even some people have them as pets. No idea about other zoos in South America.
I'm 100% sure San Diego does not have a Northern Elephant Seal right now. Your two places are the only ones I've ever been able to find that hold elephant seals currently. ~Thylo
Looks like I was wrong. Turns out some rescue place does sometimes have Northern Elephant Seal but the San Diego Zoo definetly doesn't. ~Thylo
When the Buenos Aires Zoo was closed to the public, was any of the species collection transferred to Temaiken biopark. I am a zoo enthusiast and hope to visit Temaiken biopark to add to my list of 450 facilities visited worldwide including tropical america.
I've only been once, in 2016, but loved it. It's an amazing zoo. I'm not aware of many animals moving over since Buenos Aires Zoo underwent its re-branding. Temaiken is one of a small handful of zoos outside North America to be a member of the AZA.
can ocean_boy in Argentina tell me if the baz still maintains a reptile collection, if so can a species list be provided.
No , I haven't visited , but I certainly hope to pay a visit in the future. It looks like a very interesting zoo with some novel ideas.
