The Buenos Aires Zoo is said to be the oldest zoo in Latin America. It has a mostly recognizable and diverse cast of characters…

Located next to Plaza Italia, the zoo is visited by approximately 3 million people a year, which makes it one of the busiest in the world.

We enjoyed this zoo on a sunny weekday afternoon and felt like we had the place to ourselves. As with any zoo, there is a contradiction of sadness for the captive animals and the awe inspired by being face-to-face with the variety of life of earth.

Not to brag, but we have visited a few world-class zoos, especially during our travels around the United States in 1996-97. While living in  Carlsbad we purchased yearly passes to the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Kingdom. We have accumulated mucho zoo time in case you notice a hint of arrogance in this post.

Every zoo has a specific character.

The Buenos Aires Zoo has a long history as well. The doors opened on October 30, 1888. The first zoo director, Eduardo Ladislao Holmberg, a doctor and naturalist, guided the zoo for the first 15 years. His premise was that the buildings housing the animals would correspond with the architecture of the origin of the species.

As the years passed, the concept of the modern zoo evolved and these smaller animal enclosures gave way to more natural habitats. Fittingly, these magnificent buildings have been designated as Historical Monuments, so replacing the outdated zoo concepts incorporated into the original buildings has met a seemingly insurmountable hurdle. What we see today is a snapshot in zoo time and a somewhat faded, although still visually stunning, architectural feat.

After we passed the entrance portico, which  is a reproduction of the ‘Triumph Arch of Tito’ in Rome, and a couple of other distinctive buildings shown below, we realized this zoo is as much about the design as it is about the animals. The Elephant Palace is a replica of the Goddess Nimaschi Chapel in Mumbai. The Vesta Chapel is a circular building that includes 16 Corinthian columns, a copy of the original chapel located in Rome.

The Elephant palace…

One beautiful, interesting, detail-laden building after another…

Then you come to the carousel. According to the date plate this one was built in 1898.

The woodwork and intricate designs are gorgeous.

There is always an element of romance at the zoo. Couples strolling arm in arm…

And, let’s not forget the animals, birds, reptiles and insects.

It looks like the picture to the right was done in Photoshop but it is original. The look on the duck’s face as it stands literally inches away from the hippo’s massive mouth still makes me laugh.

The Buenos Aires Zoo includes a nice aquarium. I included this photo of the spiny fish just because it turned out so well.

There was a great selection of South American birds.

 

As you can imagine, with the Amazon in South America, there is a huge variety of fish, insects and reptiles. I passed up the boas and caught this guy in mid-stride.

The insects displayed were other-worldly. The scorpion varieties were enough to make you want to check your shoes twice .

Then these beetle-like fellas give a whole new meaning to creepy-crawly.

 

 

 

Finishing with the glamorous, these fairy-like insects seemed right out of a Spielberg movie.

 

 

 

 

 

While I could show you nice photos of a rare albino tiger, a pair of cheetas, a cute monkey family, a zebra I could almost reach out and touch, the classic giraffe, a flying monkey  (literally), a brilliantly colored Toucan or the majestic bear, I prefer in the space alloted to share this unuusal creature. Not the best picture by far,  but the more I discovered about it the more certain I was that you would want me to share.

 

(Wikipedia) The Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) is the largest canid of South America. Although the maned wolf displays many fox-like characteristics, it is not closely related to foxes … One conclusion of this study is that the maned wolf is the only survivor of the late Pleistocene extinction of the large South American canids.

 

 

 

Here are just a couple of the interesting  facts about the maned wolf from here :

• Amongst the locals, maned wolf is believed to have supernatural powers. Its right eye is supposed to bring luck in gambling.
• Another superstition has it that if children wear a necklace having a maned wolf tooth, they will not have dental problems.
• Maned Wolf is an astonishing animal, native to South America, with physical features of a hyena, the head and coat color of a wolf and the large ears of an African hunting dog.

I am not done yet…

The Buenos Aires Zoo has created some remarkable advertisements that caught my eye. To see more do a search on You Tube.