The Matecaña City Zoo (Zoológico Matecaña) was a zoo located in

Pereira, Colombia Pereira () is the capital city of the Colombian Departments of Colombia, department of Risaralda Department, Risaralda. It is located in the foothills of the Andean natural region, Andes in a coffee-producing area of Colombia officially known as t ...

. The zoo had a collection of 800 individuals from 150 different species, including birds,

mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...

s, and snakes from the Americas, Africa and Asia, as well as

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

species. The design allowed the surroundings of each species to closely mimic their natural habitat. The botanic gardens also had diverse native and non-native flora.

History

It was established in 1951 by the Pereira Society of Public Improvements on of land from the Matecaña farm. The original purpose had been to build a football stadium, but the ground was not considered suitable. In 1959 the first secure cages were built to lock the few captive animals, the project was made official and the purchase of animals was authorized. In 1961 was the chronological accuracy of its foundation and opened an item in the budget for food, maintenance and management of animals like

condor Condor is the common name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. The name derives from the Quechua language, Quechua ''kuntur''. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere. One species, the And ...

s (Andean Condor),

Bengal tiger The Bengal tiger is a population of the ''Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies and the nominate tiger subspecies. It ranks among the largest wild cats alive today. It is estimated to have been present in the Indian subcontinent since the Late ...

s (Panthera tigris tigris),

eagle Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...

s and the Colombian Atlantic coast

flamingo Flamingos or flamingoes () are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbe ...

s. In 1968 the park was visited by dignitaries from Mexico and made contact with the

Chapultepec Chapultepec, more commonly called the "Bosque de Chapultepec" (Chapultepec Forest) in Mexico City, is one of the largest Nature Value Area´s in Mexico, measuring in total just over . Centered on a rock formation called Chapultepec Hill, one of ...

Zoo. The animals purchased were an

Asian elephant The Asian elephant (''Elephas maximus''), also known as the Asiatic elephant, is the only living ''Elephas'' species. It is the largest living land animal in Asia and the second largest living Elephantidae, elephantid in the world. It is char ...

, a

zebra Zebras (, ) (subgenus ''Hippotigris'') are African equines with distinctive black-and-white striped coats. There are three living species: Grévy's zebra (''Equus grevyi''), the plains zebra (''E. quagga''), and the mountain zebra (''E. ...

(male), two

hippo The hippopotamus (''Hippopotamus amphibius;'' ; : hippopotamuses), often shortened to hippo (: hippos), further qualified as the common hippopotamus, Nile hippopotamus and river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic Mammal, mammal native to su ...

s, sacred baboons (Papio hamadryas) and

sable The sable (''Martes zibellina'') is a species of marten, a small omnivorous mammal primarily inhabiting the forest environments of Russia, from the Ural Mountains throughout Siberia, and northern Mongolia. Its habitat also borders eastern Kaz ...

antelope The term antelope refers to numerous extant or recently extinct species of the ruminant artiodactyl family Bovidae that are indigenous to most of Africa, India, the Middle East, Central Asia, and a small area of Eastern Europe. Antelopes do ...

s. expanding the collection. The collection was maintained until 1993 when exotic African fauna arrived from Hacienda Napoles (

Pablo Escobar Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria (; ; 1 December 19492 December 1993) was a Colombian drug lord, narcoterrorist, and politician who was the founder and leader of the Medellín Cartel. Dubbed the "King of Cocaine", Escobar was one of the wealthie ...

's country house). In 1999 the education department was established to coordinate environmental education programs for the conservation of biodiversity in Colombia and spread the importance of all species of wild fauna and flora. The zoo closed in 2015 and most of the animals were moved to the newer Ukumari Park on the outskirts of Pereira.

Matecaña zoo sites

* Serpent * Clinic * Step Home * Bird place (aviary) * Museum of Natural Sciences * Lake * Education Department (Zoo Guides)

References

* http://zoopereira20.galeon.com/

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Matecana City Zoo Pereira, Colombia Zoos in Colombia Buildings and structures in Risaralda Department Tourist attractions in Risaralda Department Zoos established in 1959 1959 establishments in Colombia