Are you travelling to Medellin as a family and have little ones? do you think you have seen enough of the city? Did you promise your children to go to the zoo at some point while in Colombia? The Medellin Zoo Santa Fe could be a nice visit to take!
Why did I choose to go to the Santa Fe Zoo in Medellin today?
Believe me or not, I am not a big fan of Zoological Parks. I really hate seeing animals in a cage or outside of their natural habitat. I recall going to this same Zoo in Medellin, more than 20 years ago, when I was just a child (around 10 years old) and did not like it at that time. I remember the smell of it. It stank. Period.
Today, things have changed. I have a two-years-old. She loves animals. I take her to the villages nearby Medellin to see cows, sheeps and horses every time I can. Unfortunately, she has been told at day care about the lion. THE lion at the Santa Fe Zoo. I promised her we will go some day… Some day was actually yesterday.
What did we see at the Santa Fe Zoo in Medellin?
We started the visit with a beautiful couple of macaws (colorfoul parrots). Hundreds of peacocks. Two Bisons, Oesterreich, Zebras…We saw THE lion, hundreds of flamingos, frogs, snakes and quite a big diversity of birds. We could see some monkeys and saw mummy hippo and her baby hippo.
Do we recommend the visit of Medellin Zoo?
First of all, my toddler was happy and really enjoyed the visit! She is still telling everybody that she saw the lion. The zoo did not smell at all. I was actually surprised by the transformation and felt better than 20 years ago… Then, I have learned that they actually changed their whole mission and they are working on preserve some species that are about to get extinguished. For other species (such as the monkeys “mono aulludador rojo” and “titis”, the Andean condor, the Andean Bear… ) they have specific programs to have them rehabilitated before they reintroduce them into their natural habitat. Today, the primary goal of the zoo and aquarium is to use all their work for preservation purposes (which is pretty cool from my perspective). Finally, I do recommend the visit to Medellin’s Zoo if you have little ones. It is a nice place to go and spend the day at.
Tips before going to Medellin Zoo
- Try to go on a weekday instead of weekends.
- Take a hat/cap and sunscreen.
- I took my stroller but was not easy to circulate with…so, if you can avoid it, better.
- Common sense: do not feed the animals, do not go after them and do not knock at the windows.
- Contribute to nature conservation association such as The Nature Conservancy or the International Union for Conservation of Nature ( IUCN )
- More info about the zoo here http://www.zoologicosantafe.com
