Municipal Zoological Park Quinzinho de Barros
The Municipal Zoological Park Quinzinho de Barros (Portuguese Parque Zoológico Quinzinho Municipal de Barros - the zoo of the city of Sorocaba ) is located in the city of Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil.
It is located in the district of Villa Hortência, south of the city, and extends over an area of approximately 130,000 m². He is regarded in terms of its biodiversity as Brazil's second largest zoo and comprises a strip Atlantic transition forest in the secondary stage, a lake, and the Historical Museum of Sorocaba. According to the 1992 running of the Zoological Society of Brazil ( Sociedade de Zoológicos do Brasil, see Related links) inventory included the zoo at the time, 1,487 copies of 353 different mammal, bird and reptile species. 70% of them belonged to the Brazilian fauna; 36 species were threatened.
The IBAMA ( Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources ) assigns the zoo in the "A- class " one, the highest classification, which makes it a reference in Latin America for recreation, research, species conservation and environmental education. The zoo was one in 2007 over one million visitors, including students from 81 different cities in the state of São Paulo.
The projects currently running are supported by various national and international organizations, such as. , For example, of the Smithsonian Institution, the World Wide Fund for Nature, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
History
Even at the time of its founding in 1654, the city had already Sorocaba several large squares, the " Largo ". They were used to perform plays on improvised stages, for festivals or even as intermediate stops for the mules troops at the time of " Tropeirismo ". Over time, these " Largos " were to today's squares and parks of the city.
The Largo do Jardim ( Garden Square) was inaugurated on January 1, 1899 and shortly thereafter renamed Praça free Baraúna. Here the Jardim dos Bichos (Tiergarten ) was installed on 15 January 1916 where he remained until 1930. It included different types of Brazilian fauna such as panthers, monkeys, deer, sloth bear, small crocodiles, snakes and birds, especially macaws.
In 1965, the congregation decided Sorocaba to use a larger site on the banks of the river Sorocaba and built a public park. Some neighbors suggested to enrich it with animals in order to make the park more interesting and so initially some bird species, two monkeys, then other species of birds and an aquarium finally been established. It was the second Tiergarten, which was inaugurated in 1966 under the name Jardim da Margem ( riverside garden ).
The Parque Municipal Zoológico Quinzinho de Barros was inaugurated on 20 October 1968 in the presence of over 2,000 people. For its construction, the city of Sorocaba acquired the estate Quinzinho de Barros of the Prestes de Barros family through voluntary expropriation and then moved the animals of the Jardim da Margem to this new location.
Quinzinho, as he is called by the local population, took to his educational activities in 1979, thanks to the initiative of the Municipal Secretary of Education and Culture and the zoo director. The park thus transformed from a mere showcase for animals in an educational classroom. In 1988, the Center for Environmental Education was created. It includes an aligned on the environment and nature library that contains both technical books and children's books. Affiliated with the center are also a zoology museum, an amphitheater for conferences, as well as apartments for interns who come from other cities to attend courses. In order to popularize the environmental research, and the Laboratório Cientistas Natureza ( naturalist Laboratory ) was established subsequently there.
The zoo was revitalized in 2004 and equipped the most modern animal husbandry methods accordingly. Thus one finds now monkeys ditches, aviaries, which can be entered by visitors and where they are flown around by the birds, and large glass walls that allow them to bear to watch the South American giant otters and other animals up close. In addition to the courses that will be offered to biologists and veterinarians from all over Brazil, the zoo is also a training center for soldiers, NCOs and officers of the Forest Police of the State of São Paulo.