Loro Parque
Loro Parque logotype
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Sea lions perform in Loro Parque
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| Date opened | 17th December, 1972 |
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| Location | Tenerife, Spain |
| Coordinates | 28°24′30″N 16°33′51″W / 28.408382°N 16.564236°WCoordinates: 28°24′30″N 16°33′51″W / 28.408382°N 16.564236°W |
| Land area | 13.5 ha (33 acres) |
| No. of animals | 4,000 (parrots) |
| No. of species | about 350 (parrots) |
| Website | www |
Loro Parque (Spanish for "parrot park") is a 13.5-hectare (33-acre) zoo on the outskirts of Puerto de la Cruz on Tenerife, Spain where it houses an extensive and diverse reserve of animal and plant species. The park was conceived as a paradise for parrots and has developed over the years into one of the biggest attractions of the Canary Islands, with over 40 million visitors. The park keeps orcas, which has attracted criticism from some organisations.
Since 1972 when it opened at on 1.3 hectares (3.2 acres) with a 150 parrots, it has grown to 13.5 hectares (33 acres) and is home to some 4000 parrots representing 350 species and sub-species, as well as many other animals. This parrot collection is the largest in the world and makes the park one of the main references in the study and conservation of these animals worldwide.
Other records the park has set include Europe's largest dolphin show pool, the world's largest indoor penguin exhibition, the longest shark tunnel in Europe, and the largest Thai village outside Thailand, and the park is only the second place in Europe to house orcas.
The owners of Loro Parque have constructed another park in the south of the island called Siam Park, which opened in 2008 and claims to be the biggest water park in Europe.
In February 2006, Loro Parque received four young orcas: two males, Keto (born in 1995) and Tekoa (2000), and two females, Kohana (2002) and Skyla (2004) on loan from SeaWorld. SeaWorld still maintains ownership of these animals, and has sent its own professionals, including trainers, curators & veterinarians, to supplement the staff at Loro Parque. In 2004 and 2005, before the orcas were brought to Loro Parque, eight animal trainers from the park were sent to SeaWorld parks in Texas & Florida for training.
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Wikipedia