Quistakotcha Zoo

We took the bus to Quistakotcha zoo today. The bus was made out of wood. There was a lot of traffic. The zoo had puma’s jaguars, alligators, monkeys, birds and fish. Some of the animals were kept in really small cages which was sad to see.  There was a lake in the middle which had sand put around the outside making it into a mini beach. We went into the lake for a swim which was really fun. There were lots of little biting fish which nibbled on our dead skin cells. We played volley ball and piggy in the middle in the lake which was good fun. Then a load of children surrounded us and wanted to play with us as well. Later on we had lunch and kicked the football around for a minute. Until I kicked Louis by mistake in the shin and injured my toe so I had to sit it out. We chilled in the lake for a bit longer - then went back to the hostel. I strapped my toe up but it was pretty painful.

Quistakotcha was an interesting area. At the other side of the lake to where we were there is an Aguajales. Sand was imported to create the ‘beach’ area. This will inevitably have affected the ecosystem in the area. The zoo was beneficial in a way as it protects the forest animals. If ever they were over hunted the animals in the zoo could be bred and released. So in a way they act as a gene bank. However, the negative aspect of the zoo was the way in which some of the animals were kept – in limited spaces. The pumas for instance were kept in cages which were much too small for them. Also it can’t be good to keep these animals out of their natural habitat. Against this, it does at least bring tourists to the area and provides a profit which is no bad thing.