Bioparco di Sicilia, Biological park in Carini, Italy.
Bioparco di Sicilia is a biological park near Carini, in northwestern Sicily, featuring live animals, plant collections, and life-sized prehistoric animal replicas spread across open grounds. The grounds are divided into different zones, each presenting a distinct type of habitat.
Bioparco di Sicilia opened in 1999 as a prehistoric park with life-size reproductions of 20 dinosaurs. In 2001 an aquarium with freshwater and saltwater fish was built and the children's play areas were enlarged. From 2002 the zoological garden was developed, bringing in species from several continents, among them Nile lechwe, capybaras, a rhea, a pygmy hippopotamus, a Nile crocodile and Grant's zebras.
The park draws many local families who come to show their children living animals and native plants in an open setting. The section dedicated to Sicilian wildlife gives visitors a direct sense of the island's fauna.
The park sits outside Carini's town center and is most easily reached by car, with parking available on site. Comfortable shoes are a good idea, as the paths between zones can cover some distance.
The park opened in 1999 with 20 life-size dinosaur reproductions, before any live animals arrived; the zoo section began only in 2002. The dinosaur figures therefore predate the animal enclosures around them, and the aquarium was added in 2001.
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