The report of injured birds or used as pets by the community is frequent in the Rapaz Lana zoo, which has been dedicated to the rehabilitation of birds of prey in the Colonche parish of the province of Santa Elena for more than four years.
All kinds of birds of prey, parrots and now marine birds arrive at this site, such as blue-footed boobies and pelicans.
According to Érick Díaz, director of the Rapaz Lana zoo, will increase the arrival of seabirds to his center due to a possible closure of the Valdivia Marine Park, which is administered by the Real Estate Management Secretariat (Inmobiliar).
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And faced with that, he affirms that they are already expanding to create an area for marine species.
Díaz was informed of this supposed closure by a former worker of the Ministry of the Environment in the province, who told him that there was abandonment in the park facilities.
“He told us that they may close it. They have (almost) no animals, the infrastructure is abandoned. There are few species. Most of the pools are empty,” Díaz mentions.
This newspaper toured the facilities of the Valdivia Marine Park on November 16. You can enter without presenting an identity card, there are no guides. Just guards who tour the facility.
They have several aquariums where a lobster, some shrimp, vedas, captain star, sergeant major fish and other types of fish were observed.
There are two areas of approximately 7 x 10 square meters, in each one there is a penguin. The place where a Humboldt penguin was found, for example, had rusty irons and some pillars with damage. There is also another space for a crocodile and turtles.
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Already in the back of the infrastructure, in the background are three boobies and three pelicans together, in a space with a pond that measures about 5 x 5 square meters. Here, too, there were rusty irons.
According to an environmental police officer, who preferred not to be named, Rescued species have not been transferred to Valdivia Park for more than a month and now they are delivered to the Rapaz Lana Zoo.
“All the rescues that have been done so far have been left here (in Rapaz Lana),” says the officer.
This newspaper contacted the staff of the Real Estate communication area, who indicated that the marine park works normally. However, an interview was insisted on to expose the situation and also find out whether or not they are receiving rescued marine species, but until the closing of this edition there was no response.
Since The Ministry of the Environment, Water and Ecological Transition reported that the Valdivia Marine Park has its patent expired. “An analysis of the annual report has been carried out, which, through meetings with the park together with the decentralized national environmental authority through Zonal Directorate 5, have indicated which are the processes to continue with the execution of the regularization ”, says the environmental authority.
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He also added that the Valdivia Marine Park “He is not receiving specimens for his attention, due to his own limitations.”
According to the Ministry of the Environment, in Santa Elena there are six conservation management centers: the Jambelí Wildlife Conservation Center, El Carmelo, El Faro and the Rapaz Lana zoo, as private ones. And the Center for the Conservation and Intensive Breeding of the Deer of the State University of Santa Elena and the Valdivia Marine Park of Inmobiliar.
“Management centers ex situ The ones that have mostly collaborated in cases of emergency care are the Rapaz Lana zoo and the Valdivia Marine Park,” the ministry reported, noting that Valdivia is the only center specialized in marine species care.
However, at Rapaz Lana, which specializes in birds of prey, they have adapted the space for seabirds. They have received more than five blue footed boobies, frigate birds and pelicans, some have already been released.
The new land, which was donated to the zoo, measures 25 x 35 m and in that space they intend to expand the area for seabirds and will present it in their management plan.
“When the year ends we will present a management plan to the ministry to make our change due to the problem with the marine park. The current management plan is birds of prey, we made an extension and we have parrots, which are parrots and macaws. Now we are going to make another extension to receive seabirds, such as pelicans, frigate birds, and blue-footed boobies,” says Díaz. (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
