Loro Parque
Encyclopedia
Loro Parque is a 13.5 hectares (33.4 acre) zoo
located on the outskirts of Puerto de la Cruz on Tenerife
, Spain
where it houses an extensive and diverse reserve of animal and plant species. The park was initially conceived as a paradise for parrots and has developed over the years into one of the biggest attractions of the Canary Islands, with over 40 million visitors so far.
s, it has grown to 13.5 hectares (33.4 acre) and is home to 3,500 animals (700 of which are located in the park) representing 300 species and sub-species. This collection is claimed to be the largest in the world but properly titled 'the most diverse collection of parrots in the world' and makes the park one of the main references in the study and conservation of parrots worldwide. Mr. Antonio de Dios of Birds International
in the Philippines has the largest collection of parrots in the world boasting 10,000 individual psittacines, a major contributor to the population of the Spix (C.spixii) in captivity.
Other records the park has set include Europe's largest dolphin
show pool, the world's largest indoor penguin
exhibition, the longest shark
tunnel in Europe, the largest Thai village outside Thailand
, and the park is only the second place in Europe to house orca
s.
The owners of Loro Parque have constructed another park in the South of the Island called Siam Park
, which opened in 2008 and claims to be the biggest water park in Europe.
In February 2006, Loro Parque received four young orca
s: two males, Keto (born in 1995) and Tekoa (born in 2000), and two females, Kohana (2002) and Skyla (2004) on loan from SeaWorld
. Sea World still maintains ownership of these animals, and has sent its own professionals, including trainers, curators & veterinarians, to supplement the staff at Loro Parque. In 2004 and 2005, before the orcas were brought to Loro Parque, eight animal trainers from the park were sent to Sea World parks in Texas & Florida for training. However, only half of these trainers are currently employed in Orca Ocean, Loro Parque's facility for the killer whales. None of the subsequent employees hired have been sent to Sea World parks for training.
On October 13, 2010, Kohana, an eight year old female orca, gave birth to a male calf in the park's "Orca Ocean" exhibit after a four hour labor. The calf weighed in at about 150 kilograms (330.7 lb), and was two meters (2 metres (6.6 ft)) long. Kohana has yet to establish a "maternal bond" with her calf, forcing trainers to take the first steps in hand rearing him. The outcome of this pregnancy was not considered surprising since Kohana was separated from her own mother at three years of age, and was never able to learn about maternal care, compounded by the fact that she spent the formative years of her life surrounded by the three other juvenile orcas at Loro Parque. To this date, only one other captive orca has ever been hand-raised: Halyn, born to Kayla and Keet at Sea World Texas in 2005, who died of acute encephalitis at 2.8 years of age. Kohana's calf was named Adan, meaning first man in Spanish. Adan has been introduced to Keto, Kohana, and Skyla.
, jaguars, tigers, iguanas, alligators
, giant tortoises, flamingos, pelicans, exotic fish
, piranhas
, sea horses, and various shark
s. For visitors interested in plants, there is a large orchid garden with very rare plants.
show (3 times). Other attractions include the children's playground "Kinderlandia," Gambian Market, a parrot baby station, a huge parrot museum and many restaurants.
The pre-title sequence (narrated by Stephen Fry
) of the 2005 movie The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
was filmed at Loro Parque.
The foundation is particularly active in conserving the most endangered parrot species in the world, both with captive breeding
(such as with the critically endangered Spix's Macaw
) and field projects as well (such as with the equally critically endangered Indigo-winged Parrot
).
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 on the outskirts of Puerto de la Cruz on Tenerife
Tenerife
Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands, it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² and 906,854 inhabitants, 43% of the total population of the Canary Islands. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
where it houses an extensive and diverse reserve of animal and plant species. The park was initially conceived as a paradise for parrots and has developed over the years into one of the biggest attractions of the Canary Islands, with over 40 million visitors so far.
History
Since 1972 when it opened at on 1.3 hectares (3.2 acre) with a 150 parrotParrot
Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...
s, it has grown to 13.5 hectares (33.4 acre) and is home to 3,500 animals (700 of which are located in the park) representing 300 species and sub-species. This collection is claimed to be the largest in the world but properly titled 'the most diverse collection of parrots in the world' and makes the park one of the main references in the study and conservation of parrots worldwide. Mr. Antonio de Dios of Birds International
Birds International
Birds International Incorporated or BII is a company working in the field of aviculture established in 1975 by Antonio de Dios...
in the Philippines has the largest collection of parrots in the world boasting 10,000 individual psittacines, a major contributor to the population of the Spix (C.spixii) in captivity.
Other records the park has set include Europe's largest dolphin
Dolphin
Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...
show pool, the world's largest indoor penguin
Penguin
Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers...
exhibition, the longest shark
Shark
Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....
tunnel in Europe, the largest Thai village outside Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, and the park is only the second place in Europe to house orca
Orca
The killer whale , commonly referred to as the orca, and less commonly as the blackfish, is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family. Killer whales are found in all oceans, from the frigid Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas...
s.
The owners of Loro Parque have constructed another park in the South of the Island called Siam Park
Siam Park (Tenerife)
Siam Park is a Loro Parque-owned water park in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. It is located on the TF1 highway in Costa Adeje. At . Siam Park features a Siamese theme, and claims to be the most spectacular water attraction in Europe,...
, which opened in 2008 and claims to be the biggest water park in Europe.
In February 2006, Loro Parque received four young orca
Orca
The killer whale , commonly referred to as the orca, and less commonly as the blackfish, is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family. Killer whales are found in all oceans, from the frigid Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas...
s: two males, Keto (born in 1995) and Tekoa (born in 2000), and two females, Kohana (2002) and Skyla (2004) on loan from SeaWorld
SeaWorld
SeaWorld is a United States chain of marine mammal parks, oceanariums, and animal theme parks owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. The parks feature captive orca, sea lion, and dolphin shows and zoological displays featuring various other marine animals. There are operations in Orlando,...
. Sea World still maintains ownership of these animals, and has sent its own professionals, including trainers, curators & veterinarians, to supplement the staff at Loro Parque. In 2004 and 2005, before the orcas were brought to Loro Parque, eight animal trainers from the park were sent to Sea World parks in Texas & Florida for training. However, only half of these trainers are currently employed in Orca Ocean, Loro Parque's facility for the killer whales. None of the subsequent employees hired have been sent to Sea World parks for training.
On October 13, 2010, Kohana, an eight year old female orca, gave birth to a male calf in the park's "Orca Ocean" exhibit after a four hour labor. The calf weighed in at about 150 kilograms (330.7 lb), and was two meters (2 metres (6.6 ft)) long. Kohana has yet to establish a "maternal bond" with her calf, forcing trainers to take the first steps in hand rearing him. The outcome of this pregnancy was not considered surprising since Kohana was separated from her own mother at three years of age, and was never able to learn about maternal care, compounded by the fact that she spent the formative years of her life surrounded by the three other juvenile orcas at Loro Parque. To this date, only one other captive orca has ever been hand-raised: Halyn, born to Kayla and Keet at Sea World Texas in 2005, who died of acute encephalitis at 2.8 years of age. Kohana's calf was named Adan, meaning first man in Spanish. Adan has been introduced to Keto, Kohana, and Skyla.
Animals
The other creatures on display in the park are chimpanzees, gorillas, marmosets, sea lions, ottersOriental Small-clawed Otter
The oriental small-clawed otter , also known as Asian small-clawed otter, is the smallest otter species in the world, weighing less than 5 kg. It lives in mangrove swamps and freshwater wetlands of Bangladesh, Burma, India, southern China, Taiwan, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines,...
, jaguars, tigers, iguanas, alligators
American Alligator
The American alligator , sometimes referred to colloquially as a gator, is a reptile endemic only to the Southeastern United States. It is one of the two living species of alligator, in the genus Alligator, within the family Alligatoridae...
, giant tortoises, flamingos, pelicans, exotic fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
, piranhas
Piranhas
Piranhas is a historic city and municipality in the western of the State of Alagoas, in the Northeast Region of Brazil. Located on the bank of the São Francisco River, just at the border with the State of Sergipe, Piranhas was founded in 1891 and originally named Floriano Peixoto...
, sea horses, and various shark
Shark
Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....
s. For visitors interested in plants, there is a large orchid garden with very rare plants.
Shows
Shows in the park include sea lions (5 times a day), dolphins (4 times), parrots (The Loro Show - 6 times), nature vision (an indoor cinema playing a 20 minute long film - 9 times) and the orcaOrca
The killer whale , commonly referred to as the orca, and less commonly as the blackfish, is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family. Killer whales are found in all oceans, from the frigid Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas...
show (3 times). Other attractions include the children's playground "Kinderlandia," Gambian Market, a parrot baby station, a huge parrot museum and many restaurants.
The pre-title sequence (narrated by Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
) of the 2005 movie The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (film)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a 2005 comic science fiction film based on the book of the same name by Douglas Adams. Shooting was completed in August 2004 and the movie was released on April 28, 2005 in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and on the following day in Canada and the United...
was filmed at Loro Parque.
Foundation
In 1994 Loro Parque founded Loro Parque Fundación, an international foundation member of IUCN set up to highlight the need for conservation of nature and the environment. The foundation has carried out 82 conservation projects in 28 countries throughout the world, of which 31 keep being active with approximately 150 persons working daily for the conservation of nature. Since its creation they have spent more than $10,000,000 in such projects.The foundation is particularly active in conserving the most endangered parrot species in the world, both with captive breeding
Captive breeding
Captive breedingis the process of breeding animals in human controlled environments with restricted settings, such as wildlife reserves, zoos and other conservation facilities; sometimes the process is construed to include release of individual organisms to the wild, when there is sufficient...
(such as with the critically endangered Spix's Macaw
Spix's Macaw
Spix's Macaw is the only member of the parrot genus Cyanopsitta. They are critically endangered, possibly extinct in the wild The species is conserved through several breeding programs. It was found in Brazil, in parts of the Brazilian state of Bahia...
) and field projects as well (such as with the equally critically endangered Indigo-winged Parrot
Indigo-winged Parrot
The Fuertes's Parrot , also known as Indigo-winged Parrot, is a critically endangered parrot which has a highly restricted range on the west slope of the Central Andes of Colombia. The Fuertes's Parrot is about a foot long and is green with indigo wing feathers, red shoulders, and a blue crown...
).
Incidents
On October 6, 2007, apprentice trainer Claudia Vollhardt was attacked and nearly drowned by Tekoa. After this attack, the trainers ceased to do waterwork for more than six months, and never again with Tekoa. In the spring of 2009, Skyla, the youngest orca, was also excluded from waterwork after she pushed trainer Rafa Sanchez around in the pool and up against the walls with her rostrum during a show. Less than a year later, on Christmas Eve of 2009, 29-year old Alexis Martinez was crushed to death in the jaws of Keto. After spending two and a half minutes at the bottom of the 12-meter deep main pool, his body was retrieved but he was never able to be revived. He went into cardiac arrest in the ambulance on the way to BelleVue Medical Center in Puerto de la Cruz, and was pronounced dead. His funeral was held the next day, on Christmas, and his ashes were spread at Playa El Socorro at sundown. Since then, the trainers do not enter the water with any of the orcas. The park initially characterized the death as an "accident", however the subsequent autopsy report stated that Alexis died due to grave injuries sustained by an orca attack, including multiple compression fractures, tears to vital organs, and the bitemarks of the animal on his body. During the investigation into the death of Alexis Martinez, it came to light that the park had also mischaracterized to the public the 2007 incident with Tekoa, and claimed it was also an "accident" rather than an attack.Reference
- Bruce Thomas Boehrer. Parrot Culture: Our 2,500-Year-Long Fascination with the World's Most Talkative Bird. University of Pennsylvania PressUniversity of Pennsylvania PressThe University of Pennsylvania Press is a university press affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, 2004.