Parque Lecocq is a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

Government of Montevideo. . Government of Montevideo. Retrieved 2011-09-09 northwest of

Montevideo Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

, near the town of

Santiago Vázquez Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

. It houses mammals and birds and protects flora and pursues/supports breeding programs. It is adjacent to protected wetlands. Its mandate is to be a "support centre for biodiversity conservation both nationally and internationally." The zoo houses one of the largest communities of the

Addax The addax (''Addax nasomaculatus''), also known as the white antelope and the screwhorn antelope, is an antelope native to the Sahara Desert. The only member of the genus ''Addax'', it was first described scientifically by Henri de Blainvil ...

antelope (a critically endangered species) in the world.

Ana Olivera Ana María Olivera Pessano (born 17 December 1953 in Montevideo, Uruguay) is an Uruguayan professor and politician belonging to the Communist Party – Broad Front. Since February 15, 2020 she serves as National Representative for Montevideo. P ...

, the mayor of Montevideo, has announced plans to move the animals of Zoo de Villa Dolores (located in central Montevideo) to Parque Lecocq by the end of 2015.

History

The government of Montevideo's web site describes the history of Parque Lecocq as follows:

The land where the park is currently belonged to Don Francisco Lecocq (1790-1882), an outstanding man in Montevideo of his time. He was educated in England, where he forged a spirit of initiative and enterprise that applied in the importing country to its plants and animals return to their land, which still can be enjoyed in the park. It originated in a project by architect Mario Paysée, whose goal was to create a place with animal species around the world in natural settings. It occupies an area of 120 hectares, bordering the protected area of St Lucia Wetlands.

An arsonist set several fires at the park in early December 2008, burning seven acres. The park was temporarily closed as a result, reopening March 2009. No animals were injured, but habitat was damaged.

Resident animals

The park houses the following animals:Government of Montevideo. http://www.montevideo.gub.uy/sites/default/files/articulo/mapa_0.pdf. Government of Montevideo. Retrieved 2011-09-09. *

capybara The capybaraAlso called capivara (in Brazil), capiguara (in Bolivia), chigüire, chigüiro, or fercho (in Colombia and Venezuela), carpincho (in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay) and ronsoco (in Peru). or greater capybara (''Hydrochoerus hydro ...

antelope The term antelope is used to refer to many species of even-toed ruminant that are indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelope comprise a wastebasket taxon defined as any of numerous Old World grazing and browsing hoofed mammals ...

* mouflon * fallow deer *

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

* zebra *

emu The emu () (''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is the second-tallest living bird after its ratite relative the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus ''Dromaius''. The emu' ...

Greater rhea The greater rhea (''Rhea americana'') is a species of flightless bird native to eastern South America. Other names for the greater rhea include the grey, common, or American rhea; ema (Portuguese); or ñandú (Guaraní and Spanish). One of two sp ...

* peccary * chital * Pampas cat *

bobcat The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the red lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to North America. It ranges from southern Canada through most of the contiguous United States to Oaxaca in Mexico. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUC ...

coati Coatis, also known as coatimundis (), are members of the family Procyonidae in the genera ''Nasua'' and ''Nasuella''. They are diurnal mammals native to South America, Central America, Mexico, and the southwestern United States. The name "c ...

* crab eating raccoon * prehensile-tailed porcupine *

crab-eating fox The crab-eating fox (''Cerdocyon thous''), also known as the forest fox, wood fox, bushdog (not to be confused with the bush dog) or maikong, is an extant species of medium-sized canid endemic to the central part of South America since at least ...

* gray fox *

monkey Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incomple ...

* llama

References

{{authority control Zoos in Uruguay Parks in Montevideo