El Angolo is a

game A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator s ...

reserve in northern

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

. It is considered part of the Noroeste Biosphere Reserve, which includes Cerros de Amotape National Park and Tumbes National Reserve, as declared by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

in 1977.

Geography

El Angolo Game Reserve spans an area of in the region of

Piura Piura is a city in northwestern Peru located in the Sechura Desert on the Piura River. It is the capital of the Piura Region and the Piura Province. Its population was 484,475 as of 2017. It was here that Spanish Conqueror Francisco Pizarro fou ...

, Peru. Its elevational range goes from 200 to 1200 m above sea level.

Climate

Temperatures in the reserve are between 15 °C and 39 °C, with a rainy season from December to April. It is advisable to visit the area after the rainy season has finished.

Ecology

Flora

El Angolo Game Reserve protects part of the seasonally dry tropical forests, an endangered ecosystem of which only 5% is under protection in Peru. Among the plant species present in the area are: angolo (''

Albizia ''Albizia'' is a genus of more than 160 species of mostly fast-growing subtropical and tropical trees and shrubs in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae. The genus is pantropical, occurring in Asia, Africa, Madagascar, America and A ...

multiflora),'' algarrobo (''

Prosopis pallida ''Prosopis pallida'' is a species of mesquite tree. It has the common names kiawe () (in Hawaii), huarango (in its native South America) and American carob, as well as "bayahonda" (a generic term for ''Prosopis''), "algarrobo pálido" (in some pa ...

''), ceibo (''

Ceiba ''Ceiba'' is a genus of trees in the family Malvaceae, native to tropical and subtropical areas of the Americas (from Mexico and the Caribbean to N Argentina) and tropical West Africa. Some species can grow to tall or more, with a straight, la ...

'' ''trischistandra''), frejolillo (''

Erythrina ''Erythrina'' is a genus of plants in the pea family, Fabaceae. It contains about 130 species, which are distributed in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. They are trees, with the larger species growing up to in height. The generic na ...

'' ''smithiana''), overo (''

Cordia lutea ''Cordia lutea'', known as yellow cordia or in Spanish ', is a shrubby plant in the borage family (Boraginaceae), native to the Galápagos Islands, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and the Marquesas Islands in Polynesia. Common in the arid lowlands of the ...

''), hualtaco (''

Loxopterygium ''Loxopterygium'' is a genus of plants in the family Anacardiaceae The Anacardiaceae, commonly known as the cashew family or sumac family, are a family of flowering plants, including about 83 genera with about 860 known species. Members of th ...

huasango''), almendro ('' Geoffroea spinosa''), pasallo ('' Eriotheca ruizii''), palo santo (''

Bursera graveolens ''Bursera graveolens'', known in Spanish as ("Holy Stick”), is a wild tree native from the Yucatán Peninsula to Peru and Venezuela. ''Bursera'' ''graveolens'' is found in the seasonally dry tropical forests of Peru, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecu ...

''), cedro (''

Cedrela ''Cedrela'' is a genus of several species in the mahogany family, Meliaceae. They are evergreen or dry-season deciduous trees with pinnate leaves, native to the tropical and subtropical New World, from southern Mexico south to northern Argentina ...

'' sp.), ''

Terminalia Terminalia may refer to: * Terminalia (festival), a Roman festival to the god of boundaries Terminus * ''Terminalia'' (plant), a tree genus * Terminalia (insect anatomy), the terminal region of the abdomen in insects * ''Polyscias terminalia'', a ...

valverdeae'', ''

Ficus ''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending in ...

pertusa'', etc.

Fauna

The

white-tailed deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...

is the only animal managed as game in this protected area. Mammals protected in the reserve include: the

cougar The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large Felidae, cat native to the Americas. Its Species distribution, range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mamm ...

, the

jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...

, the

puma Puma or PUMA may refer to: Animals * ''Puma'' (genus), a genus in the family Felidae ** Puma (species) or cougar, a large cat Businesses and organisations * Puma (brand), a multinational shoe and sportswear company * Puma Energy, a mid- and d ...

, the

northern tamandua The northern tamandua (''Tamandua mexicana'') is a species of tamandua, an anteater in the family Myrmecophagidae. They live in tropical and subtropical forests from southern Mexico, through Central America, and to the edge of the northern Andes ...

, the

Guayaquil squirrel The Guayaquil squirrel (''Sciurus stramineus'') is a tree squirrel endemic to Ecuador and Peru. It is a robust squirrel with a head-and-body length of and a similar length tail. The colour is variable; in Peru, a pale morph is more common, while ...

, the

Sechuran fox The Sechuran fox (''Lycalopex sechurae''), also called the Peruvian desert fox or the Sechuran zorro, is a small South American species of canid closely related to other South American "false" foxes or zorro. It gets its name for being found in ...

, etc. Among the birds reported in the area are: the

Andean tinamou The Andean tinamou (''Nothoprocta pentlandii'') is a tinamou, found commonly in high-altitude shrubland, in the Andes of South America.Clements, J. (2007) Taxonomy All tinamou are from the family Tinamidae, and in the larger scheme are also rati ...

, the Pacific pygmy owl, the pale-browed tinamou, the

king vulture The king vulture (''Sarcoramphus papa'') is a large bird found in Central and South America. It is a member of the New World vulture family Cathartidae. This vulture lives predominantly in tropical lowland forests stretching from southern Mexic ...

, the

Tumbes sparrow The Tumbes sparrow (''Rhynchospiza stolzmanni'') is a species of bird in the family Passerellidae found in Ecuador and Peru. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. Description The ...

, the

red-masked parakeet The red-masked parakeet (''Psittacara erythrogenys'')DNA-sequence data require revision of the parrot genus Aratinga (Aves: Psittacidae) J.V. Remsen, Jr., Erin E. Schirtzinger, Anna Ferraroni, Luís Fábio Silveira & Timothy F. Wright is a medium ...

, the

Andean condor The Andean condor (''Vultur gryphus'') is a giant South American Cathartid vulture and is the only member of the genus ''Vultur''. Found in the Andes mountains and adjacent Pacific coasts of western South America, the Andean condor is the larg ...

, the

great egret The great egret (''Ardea alba''), also known as the common egret, large egret, or (in the Old World) great white egret or great white heron is a large, widely distributed egret. The four subspecies are found in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and ...

, the

cocoi heron The cocoi heron (''Ardea cocoi'') is a species of long-legged wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae found across South America. It has predominantly pale grey plumage with a darker grey crest. A carnivore, it hunts fish and crustaceans in sha ...

, the

ochre-bellied dove The ochre-bellied dove or buff-bellied dove (''Leptotila ochraceiventris'') is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in Ecuador and Peru.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J ...

, the

long-billed starthroat The long-billed starthroat (''Heliomaster longirostris'') is a species of hummingbird in the "mountain gems", tribe Lampornithini in subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Mexico, Central America, Trinidad, and all but the four southernmost coun ...

, etc.

Activities

Trophy hunting is the main activity, with the hunting season being from May to November. Hunting permits must be coordinated with the local hunting club (''Club de Caza, Pesca, Turismo y Recreación de Piura''), which manages the area together with the park's authorities. Other activities in the area are:

birdwatching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, b ...

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

and scientific research.

References

External links

* (Spanish)
Official map
{{Natural and Cultural Peruvian Heritage Protected areas established in 1975 Biosphere reserves of Peru Geography of Piura Region Game reserves of Peru