Dating from 1874, The Buenos Aires Zoo is a historic landmark in the Palermo neighborhood with the animal complexes scattered about beautifully designed gardens. A visit to the Zoo is one of the best things to do in Argentina for both children and adults.
Though originally conceived as a classical zoo with large areas for visitors and cramped spaces for animals and then left to deteriorate for many years by a succession of politically appointed managing directors (including at one time Evita Peron’s brother), the zoo was privatized and has since been converted into a far more modern operation largely succeeding in showing the animals in a more natural habitat.
One of these examples is the Elephant House where the new management managed to incorporate the spectacular original building resembling the ruins of an Indian temple in to a more animal friendly setup. Other modern additions have been a good sized aquarium and a Tropical Forest exhibit.
Apart from the aforementioned sights, the Zoo also has a petting zoo where children can pet and even feed smaller animals such as goats, sheep and ponies and a glass polar bear enclosure which allows the visitor to see them in action underwater as well. With more than 3 million visitors per year, it’s one of the more popular zoos in the world and a main attraction in Buenos Aires.
Should you long to see even more animals or want to see them in a more natural surrounding, Temaikèn Biopark, about 30 minutes north of the city, is the place to go to. With 178 acres Temaikèn specializes in native Argentine wildlife and exotic and threatened species and is the only zoo in Argentina recognized for its work on conservation by the United States based Association of Zoos and Aquariums. It’s popular both with locals and tourists and offers several packages including one taking you there from downtown Buenos Aires by touristic train and afterwards back to the city by boat down the river delta.
0 reacties:
Post a Comment