Cali Zoo is located in the city of Cali

Calì

Calì, also written in English as Cali, is an Italian surname, widespread mainly in the Ionian side of Sicily.For the surname Calì is assumed the origin of the Greek word kalos , or from its Sanskrit root kali, "time."The surname refers to:...

 in the country of Colombia

Colombia

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

. The Zoo

Zoo

A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....

 belongs to a foundation that carries its name and whose mission, since it took the Zoo's administration in 1981, has been to improve the animals' diet, their natural environment and the medical care of the existing fauna.

The Zoo offers a unique experience of direct contact with nature and the culture of this South American country. Cali Zoo promotes and performs different educational, recreational and investigative programs to help preserve Colombian biodiversity and create an environmental social conscience. Cali Zoo is committed to quality in all its areas, processes, and research projects.

The Cali zoo's 10 hectares (24.7 acre) are home to about 1200 animals, representing some 180 species - from lemurs to condor

Condor

Condor is the name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere.They are:* The Andean Condor which inhabits the Andean mountains....

s. Cali River

Cali River

The Cali River is a river of western Colombia. It flows through the city of Cali and drains into the Cauca River. Its headwaters are in the Farallones de Cali of the Cordillera Occidental....

 runs through the zoo

Zoo

A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....

's park-like grounds.

History

The zoo started with animals in narrow and dirty cages, with basic levels of caring and feed. However, with local government support and contributions from citizens, Cali Zoo began a transformation into a modern zoo. The old cages were replaced with new comfortable and spacious exhibits. Animals were relocated according to their species, rather than the prior indistinct organization. The Cali Zoo Foundation started focusing on each species requirements for diet. Finally, preventative medicine became a new focus. In the same way, the Zoo's surroundings were redesigned and restored.

Later, Cali Zoo's administration started a complete medical collection of each animal's records, which allowed it to have accurate and organized information so it could provide better care. With these basic necessities satisfied, Cali Zoo could lead its objectives to research and preserve the different Colombian wild species.

Exhibits

The Zoo has five sections for different kinds of species: primates, butterflies, ocean and river fish, amphibians and reptiles, and birds.

• Primates: These species have six different environments with artificial trees, walls and elements that resemble own features of the ecosystems where primates inhabit. Colombia has more than 450 mammalian species - 7% of the world total. The country has 30 primates species, the second highest of any tropical country in the Americas
  Americas
  The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
  
  . and the fifth most diverse country in the world.

• Butterflies: Cali Zoo has more than 800 different butterflies species. They are located in a special place called mariposario where they are free and the visitors can walk within the place and observe this amazing colorful spectacle. The mariposario also shows a video that depicts the butterfly's metamorphosis in all its stages.

• Ocean and River fish: This exhibition permits the visitors to know the wonderful aquatic world through 9 fresh water aquariums and 10 salt water aquariums.

• Amphibians and Reptiles: Serpents, crocodiles and poison frogs are a small sample of the extensive Colombian biodiversity. It is a unique opportunity to know and interact with these special and mysterious animals. Colombia has 520 reptile species, the third most of any country.

• Birds: Cali Zoo offers a real humid tropical forest that shelters diverse colorful Colombian species. Tourists can hear the birds' sounds and feel the fresh of these exotic places. The Country has more than 1.800 different bird species, some 20% of the world total and 60% of those that inhabit South America
  South America
  South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
  
  .

Services

Cali Zoo offers summer camps during school vacations where children between 4 and 12 years old learn how the animals live in the zoo, their behaviors and current habits. They also know how veterinarians take care of them and learn how to prepare their food. These activities are complemented with recreational activities as well. The zoo also offers Environment Formation Workshops for Professors.

Special Animals

• Stap: Stap is an asiatic brown bear that was born in the russian forests, when he was only some months old some hunters killed his mother and brother to capture him. He was sold to a russian circus in which he didn't learn so he was punished in a small cage until he was donated to the cali zoo. When he arrived he met Griselda a female grizzly bear who died after 3 years of company. actually Stap was at the zoos training system and his diet is composed by chicken, fruits and a special bread that's made at the zoo.

• Carlitos: Carlitos was a galapagos giant tortoise who lived at the cali zoo since its beginnings until the 31 of december of 2008 from a fractured jaw caused by a rock. Carlitos was donated by Rodrigo de la Puente an equatorian man that helped in the zoos construction. Carlitos was one of the main star animals at the zoo because it was a friendly tortoise towards children and it gave rides on his back.

• Lluvia and Carolina: Lluvia and Carolina are giant otters that live at the zoo. Carolina was the first of the 22 otters that the zoo have had. Lluvia is his breeding pair and since they met for first time they have had 19 babies which 11 survived until adulthood. 5 of them were sent to europe and the U.S and some of them have had babies. Actually Lluvia and Carolina are not in exhibit but you can still see 3 other otters in exhibit. Unfortunatelly Carolina died of old age in may of 2011.

• Rino and Rina: Rino and Rina were a pair of white rhinoceroses that lived at the zoo since their opening until 1993 and 1998 when they died of old age. These rhinos were brought from Germany at the 1970s. Unfortunately the passed away before having a baby. Actually the zoo has no rhinos.

Animals

Birds include: Ara macao

Scarlet Macaw

The Scarlet Macaw is a large, colorful macaw. It is native to humid evergreen forests in the American tropics. Range extends from extreme south-eastern Mexico to Amazonian Peru, Bolivia and Brazil in lowlands up to up to...

, Ara ararauna

Blue-and-yellow Macaw

The Blue-and-Yellow Macaw , also known as the Blue-and-Gold Macaw, is a member of the group of large Neotropical parrots known as macaws. It breeds in forest and woodland of tropical South America from Trinidad and Venezuela south to Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay...

, Ara severus

Chestnut-fronted Macaw

The Chestnut-fronted Macaw or Severe Macaw is one of the largest of the Mini-Macaws. It reaches a size of around of which around half is the length of the tail....

, Ara ambiguus

Great Green Macaw

The Great Green Macaw, Ara ambiguus, also known as Buffon's Macaw or the Great Military Macaw, is a Central and South American parrot found in Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Ecuador. Two allopatric subspecies are recognized, the nominate subspecies is found in Central America...

, cock of the rock.
Mammals include: giant otter

Giant Otter

The giant otter is a South American carnivorous mammal. It is the longest member of the Mustelidae, or weasel family, a globally successful group of predators. Unusually for a mustelid, the giant otter is a social species, with family groups typically supporting three to eight members...

, zebra

Zebra

Zebras are several species of African equids united by their distinctive black and white stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual. They are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds...

, Parma wallaby

Parma Wallaby

The Parma Wallaby was first described by British naturalist John Gould in about 1840. A shy, cryptic creature of the wet sclerophyll forests of southern New South Wales, it was never common and, even before the end of the 19th century, it was believed to be extinct...

, Bennets wallaby, giant anteater

Giant Anteater

The Giant Anteater, Myrmecophaga tridactyla, is the largest species of anteater. It is the only species in the genus Myrmecophaga. It is found in Central and South America from Honduras to northern Argentina...

, cottontop tamarin

Cottontop Tamarin

The cotton-top tamarin , also known as the Pinché tamarin, is a small New World monkey weighing less than 1 lb...

, black-and-white ruffed lemur

Black-and-white ruffed lemur

The black-and-white ruffed lemur is the more endangered of the two species of ruffed lemurs, both of which are endemic to the island of Madagascar. Despite having a larger range than the red ruffed lemur, it has a much smaller population that is spread out, living in lower population densities...

.
Reptiles include: The snake red fer de lance, endemic to Colombia

Colombia

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

, is the only one in captivity.

New Habitats

• Owls, and Pacaranas: this exhibit was opened in early 2011 and contains 5 species of owls and 1 specie of mammal which is the pacarana (Dinomys branickii) it has a education centre and a trail with binoculars and telescopes pointing at some owl nests and houses. it is also divided in 4 aviaries.

Future Habitats

• Australian outback: this exhibit is in the design stage and it consists in an innmertion exhibit with parma and bennets wallaby, emus, budgies and posibly kookaburras. It will have a gift shop at the end.