Quinzinho de Barros Municipal Zoological Garden
The Municipal Zoological Park Quinzinho de Barros ( port. Parque Zoologico Municipal Quinzinho de Barros - the Zoo of the city of Sorocaba) is located in the city of Sorocaba , São Paulo , Brazil .
It is located in the Villa Hortência district, in the south of the city, and extends over an area of approximately 130,000 m². It is considered to be Brazil's second largest zoo in terms of biodiversity and includes a strip of Atlantic transitional forest in the secondary stage , a lake and the Sorocaba Historical Museum . According to the 1992 inventory carried out by the Brazilian Zoological Society ( Sociedade de Zoológicos do Brasil ), the zoo at that time contained 1,487 specimens of 353 different species of mammals , birds and reptiles . 70% of them belonged to the Brazilian fauna ; 36 species were threatened.
The IBAMA (Brazilian Institute for Environment and Renewable Natural Resources) places the zoo in the “A-Category”, the highest classification, which makes it a reference for recreation , research , conservation and environmental education in Latin America . The zoo had over a million visitors in 2007, including students from 81 different cities in the state of São Paulo.
The projects currently being carried out are supported by various national and international organizations, such as B. from the Smithsonian Institution , the World Wide Fund for Nature , the United States Fish and Wildlife Service .
history
When it was founded in 1654, the city of Sorocaba already had several large squares, the "Largos". They were used to stage plays on improvised stages, for folk festivals or even as a stopover for the mule troops during the "tropeirismo" era. Over time, these “largos” became the city's current squares and parks.
The Jardim dos Bichos (zoo)
The Largo do Jardim (garden square) was inaugurated on January 1, 1899 and shortly thereafter renamed Praça Frei Baraúna . The Jardim dos Bichos (zoo) was installed here on January 15, 1916, where it remained until 1930. It included different species of Brazilian fauna such as panthers , monkeys , deer , sloths , small crocodiles , snakes and birds, especially macaws .
In 1965 the municipality of Sorocaba decided to use a larger area on the banks of the Sorocaba River and built a public park there . Some neighbors suggested that it be enriched with animals to make the park more interesting and so initially some species of birds, two monkeys, then other species of birds and finally an aquarium were set up. The second zoo was created, which was inaugurated in 1966 under the name Jardim da Margem (Ufergarten).
Inauguration of the Quinzinho de Barros
The Parque Zoológico Municipal Quinzinho de Barros was inaugurated on October 20, 1968 in the presence of over 2,000 people. For its construction, the city of Sorocaba acquired the Quinzinho de Barros estate from the Prestes de Barros family through voluntary expropriation and then moved the animals of the Jardim da Margem to this new location.
Start of educational activities
Quinzinho , as he is called by the local population, began his educational activities in 1979, thanks to the initiative of the city secretary for education and culture and the zoo director. The park was transformed from a mere showcase for animals into an educational classroom. In 1988 the Center for Environmental Education was created. It includes an environment and nature oriented library that contains both technical books and children's books. Also attached to the center are a zoology museum, an amphitheater for conferences, and apartments for interns who come from other cities to take courses. In order to popularize environmental research , the Laboratório Cientistas da Natureza (Natural Research Laboratory) was also subsequently set up.
The zoo today
The zoo was revitalized in 2004 and equipped according to the most modern animal husbandry methods. You can now find monkey trenches, aviaries that can be entered by visitors and in which the birds fly around them, as well as large glass walls that allow them to observe bears , the South American giant otter and other animals up close. In addition to the courses offered to biologists and veterinarians from all over Brazil, the zoo is also a training center for soldiers, non-commissioned officers and officers of the forest police of the state of São Paulo.
Web links
- Urban Zoological Garden "Quinzinho de Barros" on the sides of the city of Sorocaba (Portuguese)
- Zoological Society of Brazil (Portuguese)
Individual evidence
- ↑ INSTRUÇÃO NORMATIVA Nº 04, de 04 de março de 2002 ( Portuguese ) IBAMA. Archived from the original on March 10, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
Coordinates: 23 ° 30 ′ 21 ″ S , 47 ° 26 ′ 17 ″ W