Every year more than 100 million sharks are caught throughout the world and chimpanzee population has gone from a million to just over 150.000 copies in a century. Figures, data or estimates allow us to shed light and contextualize a reality that we generally do not know or prefer not to see. Valuable information resulting from the immense work of people who for decades have made the protection of nature their way of life and who, with their scientific research, have brought closer knowledge of the animal world. One of the best examples in this sense is Jane Goodall who today 63 years ago it arrived to the currently known as Gombe National Park (Tanzania) to begin his studies on chimpanzees. The importance of his discoveries is such that, to commemorate him, this date was designated as the World Chimpanzee Day.
For BIOPARC this celebration is very special and allows us to value the collaboration of the BIOPARC Foundation with the Jane Goodall Institute in Africa and relevant performance of the parks of Fuengirola and Valencia in the conservation of the Western Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus), critically endangered subspecies and the only one with a European Endangered Species Breeding Program (EEP) in which they actively participate. BIOPARC's concern for chimpanzees goes back a long way and has caused emotional stories that show part of the abuse to which we humans have subjected this species with which we share practically all of our DNA. The first when in 1999, after years of being used as a tourist attraction, Julieta She was rescued by Seprona and welcomed in BIOPARC Fuengirola where maximum well-being was offered to finally integrate into a group of their peers. Then came the story of Kika, kidnapped in the jungle and exploited as a lure in a circus, was also saved and incorporated into the family of chimpanzees in the Malaga park. The last one is the effort of the two BIOPARCs until they achieve a happy ending for little Djibril. Her mother Kika's horrific past, which she could not learn to “raise,” prevented her from knowing how to care for Djibril after giving birth. The effective coordination of the technical team allowed him to be “adopted” by Eva, one of the females from Valencia. Last April he turned 4 years old and is the “darling” of the whole family.
Likewise, today is the celebration of International Shark Awareness Day, One “cursed” animals that cause “terror” in the population. The reality is that sharks are the ones who should flee in terror from humans. They have inhabited the Earth for more than 400 million years and currently there are More than 500 species, each one with unique characteristics and a fundamental role in marine ecosystems. BIOPARC Gijón Aquarium houses a wide variety like the bull shark (Carcharias Taurus), grey (Carcharhinus plumbeus), musola (Mustelus mustelus), zebra (Stegostoma fasciatum), bamboo (Chiloscyllium punctatum), guitar (Rhinobatos (rhinobatos) or red dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula) and on anniversaries such as this one wants draw attention to its relevance to maintain the natural balance, as well as the dangers they face.
La shark fishing for their fins and meat It is a common practice in many countries. The habitat degradation It is another horrible threat; from the destruction of coral reefs on which their livelihood and shelter depend, to pollution with plastics and other waste that affects them by confusing them with food and ingesting them. In short, the pressure of human activity is bringing them to the brink of collapse, so we need to act urgently to stop this trend and secure their future and ours.
Once again, these anniversaries allow us to focus attention on real problems and deepen the objective of BIOPARC to convey the beauty of wild nature to raise awareness and provoke a change of attitude in society towards commitment to environmental conservation.
