LOBO PARK
Relentlessly hunted and gunned down,
the wolf has come perilously close to extinction. Places
where this enigmatic predator once prowled in abundance
are now either home to just a few wolves or totally
bereft of the species. The only traces of the animal
still to be found in Andalusia are in the Sierra Morena
(Jaén), where just fifty remain.
Shunning the popular tradition that
has earned the wolf such a bad name over the centuries,
some individuals are now fighting to secure its recovery
through a series of information campaigns. One such
figure is Daniel Weigend, a psychologist by profession,
who, while looking into the eyes of a wolf one day,
was so moved by the animal’s gaze that he founded
Lobo Park.
Located at the heart of a natural setting,
El Torcal de Antequera, this 40- hectare plus enclosure
is the only theme park in existence devoted to this
particular predator. It is home to four sub-species
of the animal: the European, Iberian, American Timber
and rare Polar wolves. All can be clearly viewed in
guided tours that explain to the visitor how they communicate,
play, hunt and feed.
The Lobo Park project is beginning
to bear fruit: the birth of four Russian wolf clubs
and one of the polar variety represent a huge step forward,
particularly in the case of the latter species, since
it is the first example of captive reproduction to be
found anywhere in the world.
In summer, a veritable weekend concert
of howls will delight the ears of tourists following
a succulent barbeque enjoyed in the park’s dinning
area. And initiative introduced in 2005 aims to provide
visitors with more audiovisual involvement by enabling
them to witness Daniel communicating with the wolves
through a series of howls beneath the most lycanthropic
moon to be found anywhere in the human and animal kingdoms.
However, our lupine friend is not the
park’s only attraction. Its farm school is inhabited
by other types of prowler that will delight the younger
visitor: ducks, hens, goats, the currently –popular
Vietnamese pig and sheep are all totally at home here,
not forgetting, of course, the smartest creature of
them all – Oscar the fox.
A visit to Lobo Park is an experience
that is an enjoyable and original as it is educative.
When we have taken a closer, look at these enigmatic
animals, after dancing and howling with them in the
moonlight, we will be left asking just one question:
who’s still afraid of the big, bad wolf?
Address: Ctra. Antequera- Álora
(A343), km. 16. Antequera
Tfl. 952031107
Opening Hours:
November – April: 10 to 18. Mondays to Sundays
May – October: 10 to 20. Mondays to Sundays
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