Loro Parque (Spanish for "parrot park") or 'Loro Park' is a 135,000 m2 (13.5 ha) zoo on the outskirts of Puerto de la Cruz on Tenerife, Spain where it houses an extensive and diverse reserve of animal and plant species. The park was conceived as a paradise for parrots and has developed over the years into one of the biggest attractions of the Canary Islands, with over 40 million visitors.
History Since 1972 when the park was founded by Wolfgang Kiessling and opened on 13,000 m2 (1.3 ha) with 150 parrots, it has grown to 135,000 m2 (13.5 ha) and is home to some 4000 parrots representing 350 species and sub-species, as well as many other animals. This parrot collection is the largest in the world and makes the park one of the main references in the study and conservation of these animals worldwide. The owners of Loro Parque have constructed another park in the south of the island called Siam Park, which opened in 2008 and claims to be the biggest water park in Europe.
Birds There are parrots, black swans, golden pheasants, great curassows, laughing kookaburra, penguins, puffins, flamingos and pelicans in the park. Here is the list of some parrot species, including parakeets, macaws, cockatoos and amazons living at Loro Parque:
Other animals In addition to the dolphins and penguins, some of the other creatures on display in the park include chimpanzees, western lowland gorillas, emperor tamarins, California sea lions, Asian small-clawed otters, meerkats, red pandas, jaguars, white tigers, lions, pygmy hippos, capybaras, giant anteaters, American alligators, Galápagos tortoises, African spurred tortoises, exotic fish, seahorses, and various sharks.
Orcas In February 2006, Loro Parque received four young orcas – two males, Keto (born in 1995) and Tekoa (2000), and two females, Kohana (2002) and Skyla (2004) – on loan from SeaWorld. Except for Keto, all of the orcas were fathered by Tilikum, who was involved in the death of three humans and was the subject of the 2013 documentary Blackfish. SeaWorld sent its own professionals, including trainers, curators and veterinarians, to supplement the staff at Loro Parque to assist with the orcas move. In 2004 and 2005, before the orcas were brought to Loro Parque, eight animal trainers from the park were sent to SeaWorld parks in Texas and Florida for training. On 13 October 2010, Kohana, an eight-year-old female orca, gave birth to a male calf in the park's "Orca Ocean" exhibit after a four-hour labor. The calf weighed in at about 150 kg (330 lb) and was two meters (6 ft 7 in) long. Kohana rejected her calf, forcing trainers to take the first steps in hand rearing him. Kohana's calf was named Adán, the Spanish form of “Adam”. Adán has been introduced to his uncle-dad Keto, his uncle Tekoa, his mom Kohana, his aunt Skyla, his friend Morgan and Victoria, his deceased little sister. In November 2011, Loro Parque received its sixth orca, Morgan, who was rescued in the Netherlands on 23 June 2010. After spending a year and a half in a small tank in the Netherlands, amid much controversy, Morgan was moved to Loro Parque. Claims were made that Morgan was unable to be released due to the lack of skills she would need to survive in the wild and that she was only approximately 2 or 3 at the time of her rescue. In 2012, scientists confirmed that Morgan suffered from a hearing loss that could be very severe and even absolute. On 3 August 2012, Kohana, then ten years old, gave birth to a female calf named Vicky after a two-hour labor. The calf weighed in at 152 kg (335 lb) and measured 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) long. Vicky calf was also rejected by her mother, resulting in another hand-reared orca. Vicky died unexpectedly on 16 June 2013. Her cause of death was later revealed to be intestinal problems. In the summer of 2018, SeaWorld relinquished ownership of the orcas, giving full ownership to Loro Parque. On 11 March 2021, Skyla died, after showing signs of discomfort. Her cause of death was later revealed to be that of gastric torsion. Kohana died prematurely on 14 September 2022. The theme park said that a preliminary autopsy suggested a cardiac problem. On 22 November 2024, Keto died, having shown signs of discomfort for a few days prior. The cause of death has not yet been determined. As of December 2024, there are three orcas in Loro Parque: Tekoa (M-24 years old), Morgan (F-16-17 years old) and Adàn (M-14 years old). Around 5:26 AM local time on 31 March, 2025, Morgan gave birth to a healthy newborn orca calf. Following this, both orcas were placed in a specialized area where they would receive constant care and to also ensure the safety of them. The calf was male, and was named Teno, who had received constant nursing from Morgan. Additionally, Morgan’s diet was increased by about 30% more fish to ensure she can adequately feed the calf. As of June 2025, Teno is actively growing and remains healthy.
Dolphins Loro Parque also presents 10 bottlenose dolphins, including 3 caught in the 1980s off Florida and 7 born in captivity : Paco (M), Ruffles (F), Pacina (F), Ulisse (M), Luna (F), Clara (F), Cesar (M), Achille (M), Ilse (F) and Robin (M).
Shows Shows in the park include sea lions (5 times a day), dolphins (4 times), parrots (The Loro Show – 6 times), nature vision (an indoor cinema playing a 20 minute long film – 9 times) and the orca show (3 times). Other attractions include the children's playground "Kinderlandia," Gambian Market, a parrot baby station, a huge parrot museum and many restaurants. The pre-title sequence (narrated by Stephen Fry) of the 2005 movie The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was filmed at Loro Parque.
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