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Animal Rescue
In Aktun-chen Park we have, together with some government agencies, an Animal Rescue Project.
Its main objective is the welfare of injured, abandoned, or confiscated animals, as well as people´s awareness not to acquire wild animals as pets.
After specimens are being received from the competent authorities at our premises, a medical assessment and quarantine are being held to later define the best options for them.
Aktun-chen’s Animal Rescue zone consists of several areas in the park, divided as follows:
1. Next to the General Reception of the park, there are:
a) The Quarantine area (observation and evaluation).
b) The Adaptation and observation areas (temporary shelter, while it is defined if their release is possible, or the best place for their relocation).
c) The Herpetarium.
2.- The breeding area for species in danger of extinction is located at the exit of the dry cave.
This Project is responsible of monitoring wild animals’ reproduction, in a semi-free-living space, where we can control, take care of them from predators and keep them healthy, but without directly intervening in their behavior. To later leave them free and, as time goes by, they can independently repopulate the jungle that surrounds the park, in its natural state.
The premises that we use are adapted to the needs of each species that lives in them. The space where it lives is enough to cover its basic needs, since an animal which is raised in captivity -that was not extracted from its natural habitat- does not suffer stress, because it does not know another type of life. Therefore, it is used to this kind of spaces -which are the only things it knows- since there, it previously had a slow process of adaptation. All animals we have in this part of the park have a special story. Each one of them has come to us for different reasons: confiscations from illegal sales, rescued from an accident, found in poor condition, or it is an abandoned pet. The park takes care of receiving it and, our intention is to help it and to reintroduce it in their natural habitat. To free a species, it is necessary to follow a series of steps where the individual’s ability is evaluated. This process is carried out by veterinarians and specialized biologists. When an animal successfully overcomes each review, it is released, and it can continue with its life. However, there are situations that do not allow this to happen; thus, each species has specific requirements according to its behavior and needs. Some examples are:
• There are animals that live in herds and are very territorial. If we have a single individual and we want to release it, it is most probably that it will find a herd that does not accept it and that will kill it (spider monkey and coati).
• Mammals are imprinted when they arrive in lactating status. This means that when we receive an offspring, it creates bonds with its caregiver as a mother figure.
• Many animal species learn different characteristics from their mother, such as: hunting, moving around, hiding or thanatosis, so when having surrogated mothers, they are unable to learn these characteristics -which significantly reduce their chances of surviving by themselves.
• Animals that are bought or that people adopt as pets also lose their ability to defend against other predators or the ability to feed themselves, as they get used to a human providing them with everything they need. In addition, there are cases of people cutting nails or teeth for their safety.
• When people buy an exotic animal, they do not usually have the necessary requirements to give it the kind of life it needs as it is not an animal that lives in the area, therefore, it cannot be released. Otherwise, we could only be causing an ecological imbalance.
• There are other cases where animals that arrive were wild and we cannot release them because their damage does not let them live by themselves; as for example, a bird that hurt its wing and cannot fly again.
Living Museum
This activity is with advance reservation at or the chat on this page. If you do not have an advance reservation, it will be according to availability at the time.
The Living Museum is a place created to perceive living things in a different way, learning about them in an educational way through observation and interaction.
Within this space you will be able to see and touch snake molts, skeletons, nests, and bird feathers. You will be able to do a couple of interactive activities where you will learn a lot about these species; you will observe different types of biological material such as skulls and some preserved animals;
you will know the animals that we have and their story. In addition, the access cost is used in its entirety, for the feeding of the animals, and everything that is needed to keep them healthy and happy.
