Alameda Wildlife Conservation Park
Encyclopedia
The Alameda Wildlife Conservation Park (AWCP) is a small wildlife park
situated in the Botanic Gardens in Gibraltar
.
s and monkey
s all confiscated from illegal traders
who were passing through Gibraltar. The local Customs authorities handed these animals to the Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society (GONHS).
In 1996 the Alameda Miniature Golf Course was cleared after many years of neglect and modified into a small conservation park
, again entirely through volunteer help.
. The park has also become important for the care of native species that are considered for future re-introduction to the Upper Rock Nature Reserve, such as the red fox
, the raven
and the Barbary partridge
.
The park has become an important educational resource for local schools
, helping to raise awareness of not only the rich local biodiversity
but also of wider conservation issues.
Mammals
Birds
Wildlife Park
Wildlife Park is a construction and management simulation game released in 2003. Like Zoo Tycoon and Zoo Empire, the game involves players in building a wildlife park or zoo.-Animal list:45 animals were included in the original game....
situated in the Botanic Gardens in Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
.
History
The Alameda Wildlife Conservation Park began in 1994 as a collection of parrots, tortoiseTortoise
Tortoises are a family of land-dwelling reptiles of the order of turtles . Like their marine cousins, the sea turtles, tortoises are shielded from predators by a shell. The top part of the shell is the carapace, the underside is the plastron, and the two are connected by the bridge. The tortoise...
s and monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
s all confiscated from illegal traders
Wildlife trade
The international wildlife trade is a serious conservation problem, addressed by the United Nations' Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora CITES, which currently has 175 member countries called Parties. The 15th meeting of the Parties took place in Doha,...
who were passing through Gibraltar. The local Customs authorities handed these animals to the Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society (GONHS).
In 1996 the Alameda Miniature Golf Course was cleared after many years of neglect and modified into a small conservation park
Conservation park
Conservation park is a type of specially protected status for land held by the Crown for conservation purposes.In New Zealand this land is administered by the Department of Conservation and was set up under the Conservation Act 1987. As of 31 March 2005, New Zealand's Conservation parks consisted...
, again entirely through volunteer help.
Today
Although the main purpose of the park was to house confiscated animals, it became apparent that, if finished properly, it could also be open to the public to make people aware not only about illegal animal trade but also about local wildlife conservationWildlife conservation
Wildlife conservation is the preservation, protection, or restoration of wildlife and their environment, especially in relation to endangered and vulnerable species. All living non-domesticated animals, even if bred, hatched or born in captivity, are considered wild animals. Wildlife represents all...
. The park has also become important for the care of native species that are considered for future re-introduction to the Upper Rock Nature Reserve, such as the red fox
Red Fox
The red fox is the largest of the true foxes, as well as being the most geographically spread member of the Carnivora, being distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America, and the steppes of Asia...
, the raven
Raven
Raven is the common name given to several larger-bodied members of the genus Corvus—but in Europe and North America the Common Raven is normally implied...
and the Barbary partridge
Barbary Partridge
The Barbary Partridge , is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds....
.
The park has become an important educational resource for local schools
Education in Gibraltar
Education in Gibraltar generally follows the English system operating within a three tier system. Schools in Gibraltar follow the Key Stage system which teaches the National Curriculum.-Primary education:...
, helping to raise awareness of not only the rich local biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
but also of wider conservation issues.
Entrance Information
The park is open all year except Good Friday, National Day (10th of September) and Christmas Day. Entrance fees are used to cover general maintenance, food bills and veterinarian expenses.Species in the Park
Reptiles- Green IguanaGreen IguanaThe Green Iguana or Common Iguana is a large, arboreal herbivorous species of lizard of the genus Iguana native to Central and South America...
- Spur-thighed Tortoise
- TerrapinTerrapinA terrapin is a turtle living in fresh or brackish water.Terrapin may also refer to:* Terrapin , a transport vehicle used for amphibious assault by the Allies during the Second World War...
- Hermann's Tortoise
- Snapping TurtleSnapping turtleThe common snapping turtle is a large freshwater turtle of the family Chelydridae. Its natural range extends from southeastern Canada, southwest to the edge of the Rocky Mountains, as far east as Nova Scotia and Florida and as far southwest as northeastern Mexico...
- Chinese Water DragonChinese Water DragonChinese Water Dragons are also known as Asian Water Dragons, Thai Water Dragons, and Green Water Dragons. A related species, P...
Mammals
- Prairie DogPrairie dogPrairie dogs are burrowing rodents native to the grasslands of North America. There are five different species of prairie dogs: black-tailed, white-tailed, Gunnison's, Utah and Mexican prairie dogs. They are a type of ground squirrel, found in the United States, Canada and Mexico...
- Barbary MacaqueBarbary MacaqueThe Barbary Macaque , or Common macaque, is a macaque with no tail. Found in the Atlas Mountains of Algeria and Morocco with a small population, of unknown origin, in Gibraltar, the Barbary Macaque is one of the best-known Old World monkey species. Besides humans, they are the only primates that...
- Pig-tailed MacaquePig-tailed macaqueThe pig-tailed macaques are two macaque sister species. They look almost identical and are best distinguished by their parapatric ranges:* Northern Pig-tailed Macaque, Macaca leonina...
- Long Tailed Macaque
- Cotton-topped Tamarin
- Prevost's Squirrel
- Egyptian Fruit BatEgyptian fruit batThe Egyptian Fruit Bat or Egyptian Rousette is a species of Old World fruit bat found throughout Africa, except in the desert regions of the Sahara, and throughout the Middle East, as far east as Pakistan and northern India...
- Vietnamese Potbelly Pig
- Asian Small-clawed Otter
- RabbitRabbitRabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
- Masked DormiceMasked Mouse-tailed DormouseThe masked mouse-tailed dormouse is a species of rodent in the Gliridae family. It is found in Iran and Turkmenistan.-Source:* Tchabovsky, A. 1996. . Downloaded on 30 July 2007....
Birds
- African Grey ParrotAfrican Grey ParrotThe African Grey Parrot , also known as the Grey Parrot, is a medium-sized parrot found in the primary and secondary rainforest of West and Central Africa. Experts regard it as one of the most intelligent birds. They feed primarily on palm nuts, seeds, fruits, leafy matter, but have been observed...
- Patagonian Conure
- Yellow Fronted Amazon
- Orange-winged Amazon
- Red LoryRed LoryThe Red Lory is a species of parrot in the Psittacidae family. It is endemic to the Moluccas and surrounding islands in Indonesia.Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland forests and tropical mangrove forests....
- Black LoryBlack LoryThe Black Lory, Chalcopsitta atra also known as Rajah Lory or Red-quilled Lory is a medium-sized, blackish parrot with black bill, dark grey feet and long rounded tail. It has yellow and red under-tail. Both sexes are similar....
- Monk ParakeetMonk ParakeetThe Monk Parakeet, also known as the Quaker Parrot, is a species of parrot, in most treatments the only member of the genus Myiopsitta. It originates from the temperate to subtropical areas of Argentina and the surrounding countries in South America...
- Mitred Conure
- Sulphur-crested CockatooSulphur-crested CockatooThe Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Cacatua galerita, is a relatively large white cockatoo found in wooded habitats in Australia and New Guinea. They can be locally very numerous, leading to them sometimes being considered pests...
- RavenRavenRaven is the common name given to several larger-bodied members of the genus Corvus—but in Europe and North America the Common Raven is normally implied...
- Senegal ParrotSenegal ParrotThe Senegal Parrot is a Poicephalus parrot which is a resident breeder across a wide range of west Africa. It makes migrations within west Africa, according to the availability of the fruit, seeds and blossoms which make up its diet. It is considered a farm pest in Africa, often feeding on...
- Free Indian PeafowlIndian PeafowlThe Indian Peafowl or Blue Peafowl is a large and brightly coloured bird of the pheasant family native to South Asia, but introduced and semi-feral in many other parts of the world...
Events
The park organizes two open days each year, in May and in October. Others events are offered by the Alameda Wildlife Conservation Park.See also
- Gibraltar Botanic Gardens
- List of mammals of Gibraltar
- List of birds of Gibraltar
- List of reptiles and amphibians in Gibraltar