Imatge
Imatge
The Animal Care Discovery Centre will welcome visitors accessing the Zoo via the Parc de la Ciutadella, offering a space where people can discover the importance of responsible animal ownership
Barcelona de Serveis Municipals (B:SM) has started drafting the project for this new facility, which corresponds to the new model for the Zoo thanks to its educational and awareness aims
The new space, to be created with EU Next Generation funding, will strengthen and promote the Zoo’s role as a centre adhering to the CITES international agreement on preventing the illegal trafficking of wild species
Barcelona Zoo is preparing the Animal Care Discovery Centre, a new dissemination space on responsible animal ownership, geared towards the general public. With a surface area of around 600 square metres, the new centre will be located just next to the entrance in Parc de la Ciutadella, between the Invertebrates Space and the zebra enclosure. The centre will therefore act as a welcome point for all visitors entering the Zoo via the Parc de la Ciutadella.
With the aim of making further progress on the new model for the Zoo, based on education, research and the preservation of biodiversity, Barcelona de Serveis Municipals (B:SM) has started drafting the project which will determine what the new Animal Care Discovery Centre should be like. The centre is planned to open in the summer of 2024. With a budget of nearly 430,000 euros, the new centre has the support of the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, as part of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, funded with EU Next Generation resources.
A space for reflection on responsible animal ownership
Animal well-being is one of the core values in the new model for the Zoo. Because of this, the Animal Care Discovery Centre represents an important step towards Barcelona Zoo becoming a leading facility in biodiversity education and awareness.
The new semi-open facility will feature information panels, multimedia elements and a space for workshops and educational activities. The centre will offer information and experiences for visitors, raising awareness about the importance of responsible animal ownership.
Aimed at young and old alike, the content at the new facility will place a special emphasis on the need to avoid the illegal trafficking of threatened species and animals in general, as well as the risks of abandoning exotic animals in natural habitats and ecosystems.
Essentially, the centre will strengthen and promote the role of Barcelona Zoo as an institution which signed up to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) more than three decades ago in an effort to combat the illegal trafficking of species. Spain signed up to the agreement in 1986, leading to Barcelona becoming a rescue and shelter centre for animals confiscated by administrations. It is precisely the history and evolution of some of the animals taken in by the Zoo under this international agreement that the new centre will be explaining to its visitors.