Dr. Juan A. Rivero Zoo is a 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....

 located in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

. It is the only zoo on the island. It is named in honor of Juan A. Rivero

Juan A. Rivero

Dr. Juan A. Rivero, the founder of the Dr. Juan A. Rivero Zoo at the University of Puerto Rico's Mayagüez Campus, was born on March 5, 1923 in Puerto Rico.-Education:...

, its first director. It has an extensive collection of animals from all continents, as well as new facilities.

History

The zoo was originally opened in 1954, when legislator Benjamin Cole authored the law that created the zoo. Starting in 2003 the zoo went through a major upgrade with the addition of the aviary, arthropodary and a butterfly exhibition.

On March 2008 the zoo acquired two new giraffe

Giraffe

The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...

s and two desert warthog

Desert Warthog

The Desert Warthog is a species of even-toed ungulate in the Suidae family. It is found in northern Kenya, Somalia, possibly Djibouti, possibly Eritrea, and possibly Ethiopia. This is the range of the extant subspecies, commonly known as the Somali Warthog...

s to augment the African collection. The animals were brought from Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

 and Louisiana

Louisiana

Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...

.

Conservation Programs

Committed to animal welfare, especially those facing extinction, the zoo has several conservations programs for the following species:

• Puerto Rican Crested Toad
  Puerto Rican Crested Toad
  The Puerto Rican Crested Toad or simply Puerto Rican Toad is a species of toad found only in Puerto Rico. It is the only species of toad native to Puerto Rico. The species formerly occurred in Virgin Gorda. It is listed as a threatened by the US Fish and Wildlife Service due to habitat loss and...
  
  
• Paloma Sabanera
• Andean Condor
  Andean Condor
  The Andean Condor is a species of South American bird in the New World vulture family Cathartidae and is the only member of the genus Vultur...
  
  

Facilities

• Recreational areas
• Souvenir Shop
• Museum
• Aviary
• Mammal, birds, reptile and amphibian exhibits
• Arthropodary

Adoption Program

In an effort to promote conservation, the Dr. Rivero Zoo has started an adoption program in which citizens can "adopt" one of the zoo's animals, and donate to contribute in conservation efforts.

External links

• Zoo Webpage at National Parks Company Website