Wildlife Parks

Little Africa Animal Reserve (Reserva Animal La Pequeña Africa) is a zoo located in the neighbourhood of Los Ángeles, next to the village of Jimena de la Frontera. It was created to help conserve part of the region’s (and even the country’s) natural heritage.

The animal rescue center started in 1998 as a private initiative. Four years later, in 2002, it opened to the public. The initiative began to be custodian of helpless animals who deserve to live with the best possible care. In the zoo there is a veterinary clinic that it is essential to have the best technical and human resources for a complete diagnosis of their animals.

This vast aviary is a fascinating place to visit in Almuñecar. A tropical bird park opened in 1987, it's home to 1500 birds, representing 120 different species, with an emphasis on the exotic - parrots, cockatoos, toucans and ostriches.

Selwo is a fascinating adventure in contact with nature. The park covers 100 hectares and is home to more than 2,000 animals from the five continents. The animals live in liberty, recreating their natural habitat - you can see lions, rhinos and giraffes; gnus, cheetahs, red pandas, meekats, and the endangered Iberian lynx; also birds such as hornbill, ibis, stork and crane. Visitors are taken on a four-hour tour, on foot and in four-wheel drive trucks.

In this wildlife park near Antequera, you can see four different species of wolves, including the native Iberian wolf, in a semi-natural habitat. You're taken on a guided walk through the beautiful landscape, while the guide explains these majestic wild beasts. The walk includes stops at observation platforms, where you can come into close contact with the wolves. Feeding time is fascinating, as always with animals; there are also night tours ("Howl Nights"), where you can hear the wolf packs howling along with their keeper.

In this fabulous zoological garden overlooking the Mediterranean at 250m above sea level, you can see the majestic raptors spread their wings in flight under the supervision of multi-lingual expert handlers. There are displays throughout the day, giving each of the 160+ birds a turn.

In Andalucia we can find many different wildlife Parks. Most of them are Zoos such as Zoo Castellar NaturaParc, Fuengirola BioParc or Selwo Adventure Park, where you can enjoy a nice day and view a huge range of animals, birds and other species from around the world.

The park counts over 300 crocs among its inhabitants, including the massive Gran Paco (known as Big Daddy in English), the biggest crocodile in Europe, measuring five metres and weighing over 600kg.

Ideal for families with young children who want a gentler up-close-with-nature experience, the Butterfly Park has over 1500 of the colourful little winged insects. The park is inside a Thai temple-style building; the blue tiles were actually made in Thailand.

Cordoba Zoo opened in 1967 and was one of the first official zoos in Spain. Between 2003 - 2007, the zoo went under a huge renovation and is now well-known for its research, species conservation and education.

The village of Fuente de Piedra (with a population of approximately 2,000) is close to the Natural park and lake; Laguna de Fuente de Piedra. Due to the presence of the lake, it seems that man has been in this area since prehistoric times. Later, commercial links were maintained with the Phoenicians and the Carthaginians. During Roman times, the lake was named "Fons Divinus" or divine spring, due to the medicinal properties of the water.

Zoos aren't what they used to be, fortunately. You won't find miserable animals pacing up and down shoebox cages, clinging to solitary branches or paddling around in sad puddles at Bioparc Fuengirola - Fuengirola's  visitor and animal-friendly zoo.