A Day at Zoo Ave

Wednesday, March 6

Today we took our first "field trip" out of Atenas. We hopped on a bus for Alejuela and got off a few miles outside the city at Zoo Ave (pronounced zoh ah-vey). This zoo is touted as "the best zoo in Costa Rica". And it is more than a zoo; it 's also a rescue center for injured wild animals, a preserve for rare and endangered species, and a breeding and release program for rare and endangered birds, such as Scarlet Macaws.

We arrived around 11:45 and entered through security gates into an outdoor reception area that included rest rooms, a small food stand, and a small gift shop. Ahead was a grassy area, and the first animals we saw were a group of peacocks that roamed free throughout the zoo. One male seemed insistent on blocking the path until we took a picture of him. Handsome devil!

Peacock at Zoo Ave, Alejuela, Costa Rica. (Photo by Bob)

 

We counted at least five male peacocks and three peahens. The males put on quite a display for the hens (and for us)!

Peacock during a courtship display, from the rear. Zoo Ave, Costa Rica. (Photo by Bob)

 

The zoo is spread out over many acres of forest. Walkways fan out into the zoo area in many directions, but all lead back to the entrance. Exhibits are spread out and well labeled, though most of the information is in Spanish, with some translations. Some birds and other animals are in cages; others are in large enclosures. All are in situations that closely match their natural habitat. In many cases, it felt as though we were walking through a natural tropical forest and just happened on these animals. (Although there were a few animals, such as ostriches and tortoises, that are not native to Costa Rica.)

The first area we visited housed the big parrots - Scarlet Macaws, large Green Parrots, and more.

Scarlet Macaws. Zoo Ave, Costa Rica. (Photo by Bob)

Giant Green Parrots. Zoo Ave, Costa Rica. (Photo by Bob)

 

After visiting this section, we stopped for lunch back at the entrance area, and then continued our walk through the rest of the preserve. One of the first areas we saw housed the reptiles. We saw two boa constrictors in a cage, one sleeping and one quite active. We saw one large crocodile (asleep in the sun) and a smaller caiman (submerged in a small pool). There is a large aquatic area that contains two mute swans, some small brown pelicans, carp in a pond covered with water lilies, and dozens of turtles, many sunning themselves on any open branch or log they could find.

Turtles sunning themselves. Zoo Ave, Costa Rica. (Photo by Bob)

 

We saw this large iguana in an enclosure, and we saw another one very much like it out free and ambling down the walkway behind us. Almost too close for comfort - he must have been at least four feet long, maybe longer!

Iguana. Zoo Ave, Costa Rica. (Photo by Bob)

 

The vegetation we saw along the way was almost as interesting as the animals. This tropical forest contains a lot of very large old-growth trees, many covered with vines and epiphytes. There were also palm trees of various sizes and types, and also pine trees. And the biggest surprise to us were the stands of Giant Bamboo we passed along the way. When the wind blew through them, they made a rattling sound that was almost like music.

Stand of Giant Bamboo at Zoo Ave, Costa Rica. (Photo by Bob)

 

We saw many interesting animals that we did not get to photograph: agoutis, coatis, peccaries, deer, fox, cougar, mountain lion, margay, desert tortoises, and more. We saw birds of many types, including parrots, hawks, owls, toucans...

Toucan eating melon. Zoo Ave, Costa Rica. (Photo by Bob)

 

... And even emus, and two ostriches.

Pair of ostriches. Zoo Ave, Costa Rica. (Photo by Bob)

Ostrich hunting for insects. Zoo Ave, Costa Rica. (Photo by Bob)

 

We also saw monkeys - Spider Monkeys and White-face Monkeys (Capuchins) - no Howlers. We watched the Spider Monkeys for a long time. They were active and very funny. One in particular did a whole routine of aerial artistry using a piece of cloth suspended from a rope. It was as if he could tell that he had an appreciative audience, and did several encores.

No photos, unfortunately. This is the best we could do:

Monkey Business. Zoo Ave, Costa Rica. (Photo by Bob)

 

We were there over three hours, covered almost all of it, were getting tired, and needed to catch the three o'clock bus out of Alejuela heading for Atenas. It was a lovely day. I had been longing to see some of the famed flora and fauna of Costa Rica, and this, as Bob would say, "scratched my itch."

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