In May, I visited Ecuador. As it was an organized tour with a group, free time was limited, but I was able to visit two zoos in the country (actually three, but one doesn’t deserve to be named a zoo). Below I will give a brief description. A list of mammals and birds of prey in both zoos will follow later en I will try to upload some photos. Ecozoo San Martín This zoo is located in the San Martín Canyon two kilometers west of Baños de Agua Santa in the province of Tungurahua. All species kept in this zoo are native. After the entrance, there are two walking routes through the zoo, with mainly mammals along the first and aviaries along the other one. The monkey enclosures and aviaries for parrots are average, but most of the other mammals are housed in quite spacious exhibits, as well as the birds of prey. Most notable are those of the spectacled bears and Andean condors. Across the street a second “zoo” is located in the San Martín Canyon, the Acuario Serpentario. It a combination of an building with aquaria and terraria (many boa constrictors, some other snake species), a square with aviaries (mainly the average cage birds) and some farm animals, and on top of a hill an enclosure for lions. Compared to Ecozoo San Martín, it’s complete rubbish. Bioparque Amaru Before my journey, I read some good reports about Bioparque Amaru with claims like “the most beautiful zoo in South America”. I can’t tell if that claim is true, but is definitely a great zoo. Bioparque Amaru is located outside the city of Cuenca. This zoo is located in a forest on quite hilly terrain and its divided in five ecozones: Los Andes, Mágico Bosque Seco, Amazonía, Islas Encantadas and África Salvaje. The first one is the largest with spacious enclosures for deer, spectacled bear and Andean condor among others. The second zone is dedicated to the dry forests en the smallest, with an enclosure for collared peccaries. Squirrel monkeys and macaws roam freely in Amazonía, that includes enclosures for other monkeys, felines and tapirs, a large aviary with parrots, whistling ducks and currasows, and buildings for crocodiles, snakes, turtles and frogs (including the Centro de Conservación de Anfibios that plays a crucial part in breeding programms for critically endangered frogs, like stubfoot toads). Giant tortoises and blue-footed boobies inhabit the Islas Encantadas, the area fort he Galápagos. África Salvaje is completely out-of-place in a zoo with otherwise only native animals. I guess the lions, ostriches and peacocks (not even African!) are mainly there to attract visitors.
Species list for Ecozoo San Martín Mammals Jaguar – Panthera onca Puma – Puma concolor Ocelot – Leopardus pardalis Tayra – Eira barbata Spectacled Bear – Tremarctos ornatus White-nosed Coati – Nasua narica South American Coati – Nasua nasua Kinkajou – Potos flavus Crab-eating Raccoon – Procyon cancrivorus Brazilian Tapir – Tapirus terrestris Collared Peccary – Tayassu tajuca Peruvian Deer – Odocoileus v. peruvianus Little Red Brocket Deer – Mazama rufina Black Agouti – Dasyprocta fuliginosa Central American Agouti – Dasyprocta punctata White-tailed Titi – Callicebus discolor White-fronted Capuchin – Cebus albifrons White-headed Capuchin – Cebus capucinus Common Squirrel Monkey – Saimiri sciureus White-fronted Spider Monkey – Ateles belzebuth Black-headed Spider Monkey – Ateles fuscipes Brown Woolly Monkey – Lagothrix lagotricha Birds of prey King Vulture – Sarcoramphus papa Andean Condor – Vultur gryphus Savanna Hawk – Buteogallus meridionalis Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle – Geranoaetus melanoleucus Variable Hawk – Geranoaetus polyosoma Carunculated Caracara – Phalcoboenus carunculatus Great Horned Owl – Bubo virginianus Spectacled Owl – Pulsatrix perspicillata Short-eared Owl – Asio flammeus Crested Owl - Lophostrix cristatus Roraima Screech-Owl - Megascops roraimae
Species list for Bioparque Amaru Mammals Puma – Puma concolor Ocelot – Leopardus pardalis Oncilla – Leopardus tigrinus Margay – Leopardus wiedii Lion – Panthera leo Andean Fox – Lycalopex culpaeus Spectacled Bear – Tremarctos ornatus South American Coati – Nasua nasua Kinkajou – Potos flavus Brazilian Tapir – Tapirus terrestris Collared Peccary – Tayassu tajuca Lama – Lama glama Alpaca – Vicugna pacos Peruvian Deer – Odocoileus v. peruvianus Black Agouti – Dasyprocta fuliginosa Río Napo Tamarin – Saguinus graellsi Brown Capuchin - Cebus apella Common Squirrel Monkey – Saimiri sciureus White-fronted Spider Monkey – Ateles belzebuth Brown Woolly Monkey – Lagothrix lagotricha Birds of prey Black Vulture – Coragyps atratus King Vulture – Sarcoramphus papa Andean Condor – Vultur gryphus Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle – Geranoaetus melanoleucus Variable Hawk – Geranoaetus polyosoma Carunculated Caracara – Phalcoboenus carunculatus American Kestrel – Falco sparverius Spectacled Owl – Pulsatrix perspicillata Stygian Owl – Asio stygius
Una olinguita rescatada se exhibe en el zoológico de Guayllabamba The first olinguita to be exhibited in a zoo is at the zoo in Quito.No surprise, it was rescued from the illegal pet trade, as are so many animals in Latin American collections. The olinguita is a recently discovered species and already affected by the illegal animal trade.
Surely it's the first known olinguita in a zoo? There was one in the USA in the sixties that spent time at (at least) Smithsonian and Reid Park but was believed to be a typical olingo, the details are on here somewhere and I think that that particular animal was the type specimen. @TeaLovingDave knows more details, well I think he does anyway!
Any way it is the only olinguita on exhibit in any zoo currently. Maybe devilfish will go to see it now.
I passed by Guayllabamba (actually quite a bit out of Quito) last year, but only for a short stop at the local supermarket. Unfortunately, I had no time for a zoo visit.
I was going to make a joke along the lines of "What's that noise? Oh, it's @devilfish and @Giant Eland running to buy plane tickets!"
several years ago on our way to Galapagos Islands, my wife and I visited 3 facilities in Guyaquil; iguana park, historical park with native species in natural habitats and zoo pantanal outside the city with both native and exotic species.
I guess you mean Parque Seminario with "Iguana Park". This is a public park in front of the Cathedral with wild green iguanas. My hotel in Guayaquil last year was just beside Parque Seminario. This park is also a good location for birding, saw scrub blackbird, pale-legged hornero and groove-billed ani (next to rock pigeons).
Importación de especies exóticas a los zoológicos entra a debate en Ecuador There is a debate on keeping so called exotic species in the zoos of Ecuador. This newspaper article presents both sides of the debate and is balanced.