
Guayaquil’s Parque Historico Wildlife
— Gary Snyder
Free attractions abound in Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city. One of my favorites is Guayaquil’s Parque Historico, full of plants and animals.
Parque Historico (Historic Park) is a relaxing retreat in the big city. The park has three distinct areas – wildlife, historic architecture, and traditional lifestyle. Today I focus only on wildlife.
The park’s plants and animals are all native to Ecuador. Some animals injured in the wild find homes here.
Meandering through the park, pausing frequently to listen to the birds is a relaxing way to spend a morning or afternoon. Raised walkways provide incredible proximity for visitors.
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Visitors are close to nature on raised walkways Parque Historico |
Let’s meet some residents!
Parrots
Fourty-seven species of parrots have been recorded in Ecuador. In Parque Historico, there are a large number of parrots. Injured birds live in cages until they are healthy enough to be released.
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Caged Parrots not ready for wild Parque Historico |
When released, the birds frequently stay inside the park since the conditions are ideal for them.
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Parrots free to roam anywhere Many stay in Parque Historico |
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Man made birdbaths ensure water is available Parque Histórico |
Ocelot
Carnivorous animals are not allowed to go anywhere they want in the park lest they harm the other occupants. Medium sized spotted cats, ocelots are found throughout Central and South America. Too injured or tame to be released into the wild, these ocelots live in captivity.
Ocelots in the park are in a huge metal enclosure made to look like tree branches. I was lucky that one of them walked in front of me.
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Ocelot walking in enclosure Parque Historico |
Collared Peccary
In tropical and subtropical Americas, the collared peccary eat cactus, vegetables and fruits. They sleep in burrows, caves and under logs or tree roots.
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Collared Peccary Parque Historico |
Spectacled Caiman
A gray-green small to medium sized crocodile, the spectacled caiman is found in Central and northern South American wetlands and rivers. The ones in the park hang out in a man made pond.
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Spectacled Caiman Parque Histórico |
Harpy Eagle
The largest and most powerful raptor in the Americas is the harpy eagle with a wingspan up to 224 cm (7 ft 4 in). They are threatened by humans destroying their natural habitat in low lying rainforests.
Multiple countries have breeding and monitoring programs in an effort to increase the population.
The first South American captive-born harpy eagle was in Parque Historico May 6, 2002. They only reproduce once every couple of years and have one baby at a time. Re population is slow work with this bird!
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This harpy eagle, by it’s nest, is more than two feet tall Parque Historico |
Thanks for taking this tour with me through Parque Historico. In addition to the animals you met today, there are many other residents who did not make an appearance today, including spider monkeys, sloths, ducks, and deer.
Is there a captive breeding program near you for endangered animals?
Click here to read more about Guayaquil, Ecuador.


6 Comments
Hilary Melton-Butcher
Hi Emily – lovely place to visit and one that is doing good for so many creatures and plants … you must enjoy visiting. We do quite a lot of conserving and looking after wounded animals her in the UK -thankfully in a relatively enlightened country … cheers Hilary
Emily Bloomquist
Thank you Hilary! I do enjoy visiting, it is a beautiful way to spend a day. I enjoy reading about UK conservation efforts on your blog.
Donna B. McNicol
So much to see and enjoy in Ecuador. Thanks for sharing!
Emily Bloomquist
There sure is! Thanks for stopping by again, Donna.
Jean Davis
It would be so neat to see all those parrots hanging out in the wild. The only place we see them around here is in pet stores or zoos. I'm sure they are much happier in the park where they can fly free.
The branch enclosure for the Ocelots looks pretty but it seems like it would make the cats hard to see, unless like in the photo, they are right up close.
That looks like a great park! We have some wildlife rehab places around us, but not really anything for endangered animals.
Emily Bloomquist
You are right, Jean, the Ocelots were hard to find unless they were moving nearby. I tried taking some photos of one in a tree and you can't make out the cat at all.