The Cali Zoological Park celebrated it’s 40th year anniversary of preserving Colombian biodiversity with more than 3,000 animals on exhibit.
“When the [Cali Zoological] Foundation first received the Cali Zoological Park it had 250 animals, the majority of which didn’t have scientific value, they were doves, llamas, and ducks, among others…now we have 1,200 mammals and reptiles, 400 amphibians, and about 1,500 fish and butterflies, which would take us to about 3,000 animals,” said Maria Clara Dominguez, executive director of the Cali Zoo Foundation.
The Cali Zoo has come a long way from it’s start, and now on it’s 25 acres of space, with the Cali River running through, it hosts a variety of species that are sustained by special diets and habitats, preventative medicine, and ongoing research that monitors the animals’ well-beings.
“The Cali Zoo is an environmental nature park that offers a unique experience in contact with the natural and cultural wealth of Colombia, which promotes and carries out programs in education, outreach, recreation, and research, for the conservation of Colombian biodiversity and the formation of environmental public awareness,” according to the Cali Zoo’s website.
Colombia is the second most biologically diverse country on the planet and home to about 10% of the world’s species, according to Mongabay, an environmental information website.
The Cali Zoo hosts a wide variety of national species in five designated areas for primates, butterflies, ocean and river fish, amphibians and reptiles, and birds.
At the Cali Zoo there are more than 800 different butterfly species, housed in a special “mariposario” where visitors can walk through and observe the colorful flying creatures, as well as watch their initial stages as caterpillars or in cocoons.
The ocean and river fish exhibition has nine fresh water aquariums and 10 salt water aquariums that host a variety of different water-bound creatures from turtles to puffer fish.
In addition to housing the great Condor, Colombia’s national bird, the Cali Zoo has a wide range of winged creatures kept in the zoo’s enclosed tropical forests.
The Cali Zoo first opened it’s doors to the public in 1971, however, 10 years later it nearly closed due to administrative difficulties. In the face problems the zoo was facing early on, Cali entrepreneurs created the Cali Zoological Foundation that has sustained the park to current.
On Thursday, Cali Mayor Jorge Ivan Ospina renewed the zoo’s administrative contract with the Cali Mayor’s Office and Cali Zoological Foundation through 2016.
The Cali Zoo is open from 9AM-5PM, and entrance fees for adults are $5.40 and children are $3.75.
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