La Aurora Zoo, Zoo in Zone 13, Guatemala City, Guatemala.
La Aurora Zoo is a zoological park in Zone 13 of Guatemala City, covering 16 manzanas of landscaped grounds. Its entrance is a wide structure with a dark slatted roof bearing large gold letters reading "La Aurora Zoo", supported by orange-brown pillars with vines hanging over them. Inside, the exhibits are grouped into Región Africana, Región Asiática, Terra América and Oceanía, plus a farm, the Reino Kan reptile house, an aquarium and aviaries.
The zoo was founded on 25 December 1924 under President José María Orellana, in the southern part of Guatemala City, as part of the Parque Reforma leisure area with museums, parks and a hippodrome. The idea dated back to 1892, when José María Reina Barrios bought the Finca Nacional La Aurora. Around 1963, after a period of neglect, the government handed administration to the Asociación Guatemalteca de Historia Natural by Decree Law 38; renovations have continued since 1991. The growth of La Aurora International Airport shrank the park, and the hippodrome was demolished in 2007.
The reptile house, opened in March 2018, is named Reino Kan: kan means "snake" in Maya, and the name refers to the Kan kingdom of northern Petén, home of El Mirador. Its pyramid facade is a 15-metre, roughly 1% scale model of La Danta, built with the three upper pyramids of the triadic pattern. Inside, 50 terrariums hold 433 reptiles, amphibians, arachnids and insects across 81 species, many from CONAP rescues.
Wheelchairs are available for rent at the entrance, and the main paths are wide enough for comfortable access to most enclosures. Lockers, food stands, and parking spaces are provided, allowing families to spend several hours on-site.
The grounds sit directly next to La Aurora International Airport, so visitors sometimes spot planes taking off above the enclosures. Part of the park is dedicated to breeding programs for the Motagua Valley beaded lizard and the horned guan, two native species that have become rare in the wild.
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