Castellar Animal Rescue Center
Since 1988, animals seized by Customs have had the opportunity to live in the Animal Rescue Center with the care they deserve. The vast majority of them cannot return to the wild and Castellar Zoo takes care of them.
This private initiative was born with the purpose of helping these animals, but today it is much more than that. It is not often that you find a place where a didactic work of the animal kingdom is done in such a close way. At Castellar you can interact with monkeys, feed goats, pet seals, share space with lemurs, hold snakes, enter an aviary and even let eagles and eagle owls perch on your arm.
Depending on when you visit the center you may have the opportunity to play with a tiger cub or interact with any other animal. These days if you visit the vet’s office there is a black panther that is adapting to the new environment and is already starting to play with the instructors. Good sign!
As you can see, everything is designed to create a bond with the visitor through the connection with the animals. If you go with children, you will see curiosity, fascination and excitement on their faces.
How many animals are there in the Castellar Zoo?
The enclosure is not very large. Easily seen in a morning. But this, far from being a negative point, is what gives Castellar Zoo its particular charm. The number of animals varies depending on the number of seizures, the different protection programs to which they adhere and whether any other zoo has difficulties in taking over an animal.
This is the case of the three seals that you will find in Castellar. During the confinement, because of Covid 19, another center with two juvenile seals and one adult seal, was struggling financially and asked the Rescue Center for help in relocating the marine mammals. Within a month, while everyone was cooped up at home, the pool where they cool off every day was built.
All animals have their name. Buck, Storm, Willy, Max, Zhira, Elsa… one by one you discover cougars, lions, tigers, Iberian lynxes and other felines; wallabies (one really spectacular albino), Vietnamese pigs, baboons, lemurs, baboons, marmosets; and if you like birds: parrots, parrots, parrots, parrots, eagles, owls, griffon vultures…
How to sponsor an animal at the Castellar Zoo.
If you want to lend a hand to these animals you can sponsor one of them. With the money from sponsorships and donations you contribute to the care of the animals, their food and the maintenance of the zoo facilities.
Come to the information booth at the entrance gate and they will tell you everything you need to know. Alternatively, you can make your donation through the zoo’s website.
