Close Loro Parque!

Why is this important?

We have to end all this now:

ECOLOGICAL ARGUMENTS

Zoos, and more specifically Loro Parque, have irreversible negative impact on our ecosystems. The main arguments to request the closure of Loro Parque are:

• The Canary Islands are, due to their climatic conditions, easily colonizable by exotic species. Loro Parque imports exotic animals that can be dangerous for our biodiversity, as has already happened on other occasions with species of birds and bats. Loro Parque has even gone so far as to sell and advertise invasive species such as the Kramer's parrot (Psittacula krameri) and the Argentine parrot (Myiopsitta monachus) or the Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus).

• This zoo consumes enormous amounts of energy due to the large size of its facilities. To alleviate this expense, they propose the installation of a photovoltaic solar field in the municipality of Arico, where they would destroy a special cacti habitatfor the installation of solar panels.

• At the same time, Loro Parque needs a very high amount of water resources for its maintenance, which in the island of Tenerife are increasingly scarce.

• Keeping of animals in this zoo means the removal of these individuals from their habitat. Through its disappearance, its function in the ecosystem is also suppressed, unbalancing it in ways that, many times, cannot be predicted.

• Whilein very specific instances in order to avoid the extinction of highly threatened species, reproduction in captivity is necessary, one of the most important reasons for some species extinction is precisely their capture for breeding in captivity. The case of the Spix's macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii) illustrates this point. Additionally, does the breeding of this species justify having gorillas, lions and flamingos in the zoo?

• Breeding animals in captivity may be beneficial for certain species, but for others it leads to a “surplus” of individuals that the zoo cannot maintain. When this occurs, a sale of the “surplus” animals takes place. Specifically, Loro Parque sells its breeding surpluses: Conservation or business?

• Loro Parque also heavily modifies our landscape. This company has filled the island with advertising billboards that prevent us from enjoying the landscape of the archipelago. It is almost impossible to go out on the street and not come across a sign of one of their brands everywhere you look. Not to mention that on many of these posters appear animals that have already died due to captivity.

MORAL ARGUMENTS

The idea of a zoo where exotic animals are kept locked in cages or pools is an approach to nature that we consider deeply immoral, for many reasons, among which are:

• Taking animals out of their habitat is an action that normalizes behaviors that go against empathy towards all living beings.

• Marine mammals travel tens and hundreds of kilometers a day in their natural state, and have family and trophic relationships that have been shown not to be matched in captivity: The 20-year-old orca Kohana died in 2022 and is the third animal of the same species that dies in the zoo. Orcas in the wild can live up to 60 years for males and up to 100 years for females. In dolphinariums, few live beyond 25 years.

• Keeping great apes such as chimpanzees and gorillas in captivity is something that society views as more unacceptable every day, given that the lack of freedom in great apes "affects their physical and mental health as it can affect a human being."

• Society has changed, animal respect has become one of the largest legislative efforts in recent years at the national, European and global level. Even so, before the new Law for the Animal Protection and Welfare Code was approved in Spain, which toughens measures against animal abuse and in many cases prohibits shows with animals and keeping them in small spaces and unnatural conditions, the Spanish political parties PSOE, PP and Canary Coalition proposed an amendment to the aforementioned Law so that it could not affect Loro Parque and its facilities.

• Although in some cases there are shelters and facilities that have a role in conservation by providing shelter to animals that are victims of illegal trafficking and that cannot be renaturalized, this is not the case for the majority of animals that are used for the show at Loro Parque, and in no case are shows of any kind necessary for the conservation effort.

EDUCATIONAL ARGUMENTS

Regulated education is the main tool we have to create sensitivity in students, and therefore in society, towards our natural wealth.

Specifically, the new curricula recently approved for primary and secondary education in the archipielago constantly mentions prevention of animal abuse, and encourages sensitivity and empathy towards all living beings, putting special attention to the endemic and native species of the Canary Islands.

In opposition to this reality, Loro Parque zoo, together with the DGOIPE (General Directorate of Planning, Innovation and Educational Promotion) of the Department of Education and Universities of the Government of the Canary Islands, has been providing the teaching community of the islands with a substantial gift for years: AN “ANIMAL EMBASSY CARD”, a personal card, unique for active teachers, with which they can access Loro Parque and Siam Park unlimitedly for one academic year. The price of a TWIN Ticket for both parks is €35 for a single visit to both parks.

This gift card violates the Law of the Basic Statute of Public Employees, where it is clearly indicated that "any gift, favor or service under advantageous conditions that goes beyond the usual, social and courtesy uses will be rejected, without prejudice to the provisions of The Criminal Code".