parrotLife_Printers-3 (Page 1) - Rolf C. Hagen Inc.

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In 1972, Wolfgang Kiessling opened
Loro Parque, a parrot park of only 1.3
hectares (3.1 acres), in the hamlet of
Puerto de la Cruz on the north coast
of Tenerife, the largest of the Canary
Islands of Spain.
800 parrots are
The location of Loro Parque was well
chosen in space and in time because,
as tourism has thrived on Tenerife
during the past three decades, so has
Loro Parque been able to expand to
an area of 13.5 ha (33 acres) and
develop into not just the world’s premier
parrot park, but also a world
class zoological park in all its attributes.
Furthermore, the combination of
sub-tropical latitude (28ºN) and
ameliorating effect of a cold current
in the surrounding Atlantic Ocean,
creates near-perfect climatic conditions
for maintaining and breeding
parrots. When the Spanish first
reached the islands, they dubbed
them the "fortunate islands", especially
because of the wonderful climate.
This feature, together with the first
rate installations established by Loro
Parque and the Loro Parque
Fundación, have created a paradise
for parrots, and for parrot lovers.
representing as large a
found on exhibition
Nowadays, as many as 1.5 million visitors a year
come to Loro Parque to see its parrots and other
attractions. Passing through the elegant Thai architecture
of the entrance, visitors enter a botanical and
zoological paradise. Luxuriant vegetation abounds,
cocooning the visitor for the several hours of his or her
visit and creating multiple microclimates for the benefit
of the animals. For those who want to see parrots,
there is no chance that they will miss them. Some 800
parrots are exhibited in the park, representing as large
a diversity of forms as can be found on exhibition anywhere
in the world. In Loro Parque they form the fabric
of the park, being spread throughout almost the entire
area and capturing the attention of the visitors as only
parrots know how in addition to the other animal
attractions. The philosophy behind the exhibition of
such a variety of parrots has remained constant
throughout the life of Loro Parque. It is that people, by
being amazed at their myriad colours, their endearing
antics and their great variety, cannot only feel that they
have had a great day out at the park, but also that
they can better know and respect these charismatic
birds. Willingness to support conservation efforts
follows on from knowledge and respect, and this has
been an ever-increasing outcome which is the central
role of the Loro Parque Fundación. But more on that
later. Let us get the full flavour of Loro Parque by
looking at what other attractions dwell amidst the
greenery. The first encounter is likely to be with the
park´s bachelor group of gorillas, five huge silver-