Parco Natura Viva, Zoological garden in Bussolengo, Italy.
Parco Natura Viva is a zoological garden and safari park in Bussolengo between Verona and Lake Garda with habitats for animals from several continents. The facility extends across a hilly landscape with paths through forests, meadows and recreated African savannas for larger animal groups.
The zoological park began its work in 1969 with the arrival of a hippopotamus that became the first resident. Over the following decades the facility developed into a center for breeding programs of threatened animal species.
The park takes its name from the link between protected nature and living creatures, which can display their behavior in spacious enclosures. Families often watch feeding times and join public guided tours where keepers explain their daily work.
A walk through the pedestrian area takes about three hours while the car route can be driven in roughly 45 minutes. Visitors should bring comfortable shoes and can use their own vehicle for the safari track.
A statue of a hippopotamus stands at the entrance and recalls the first resident of the park from 1969. The House of Giants exhibition displays life-size models of extinct animals alongside living lizards such as Komodo dragons.
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