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Barcelona Zoological Park first opened its gates on the Day of the Merc, patron saint of Barcelona, 1892. The collection of animals on show there came from a private collection kept by Lluis Marti i Codolar at La Granja Vella, his estate in Horta. He offered the animals to Barcelona City Council, and the mayor, Manuel Porcar, gave his approval to their purchase and the subsequent move to the publicly-owned site that was left vacant in Ciutadella Park after the 1888 Universal Exposition. One of the most excellent features of the zoo is that it is located directly next to the Catalan parliament. The zoo is a very pleasant day out with a surprisingly large and varied number of animals in quite a small area. Other highlights at the zoo include dolphin shows and killer whale show. The adventure playground seems like a great place for kids. A large chunk of the Parc de la Ciutadella is taken up with the citys zoo. Until recently, the main attraction was Copito de Nieve (Snowflake), the only albino gorilla in captivity in the world. He died but left behind a large family of children and grandchildren. Despite losing its star attraction, there are still plenty of other reasons to visit Barcelonas Zoo, and one is the pleasant leafy garden setting itself. Many of the enclosures are bar less and the animals kept in place via a moat. Barcelonas Zoo is probably a lot more progressive than many other zoos on the continent and children will delight at the mountain goats, llamas, lions, bears, hippos, huge primate community, and dozens of other species. There are also a dolphin show and sizable reptile enclosure and an exhibition on the extinction of gorillas in Snowflakes memory; from the time he was captured in Equatorial Guinea in 1966 through his rise to celebrity status and the citys mascot. Barcelona Zoo mission is the conservation of animal species through European programs for breeding in captivity, including the black vulture, the Gila monster, the anteater, Rothschilds giraffe and the mhorr gazelle. The zoo also promotes veterinary research and organizes educational activities, including programs for schools. Barcelona Zoo is set in a magnificent garden, covering 13 hectares of Ciutadella Park and containing a collection of some 7,500 individual animals belonging to more than 400 species from all over the world. Barcelona Zoo adheres to the World Zoo Conservation Strategy and hence carries out a series of activities. Today education is considered as the main purpose of any zoo, and the reason for its existence. In order to achieve this goal there is an Education Department whose prime aim is to make certain that those members of the public who visit the Zoo throughout the year learn to understand, appreciate, respect and love animals, which is a great asset towards the safeguarding of wildlife and nature. |
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