On Wednesday afternoon we traveled to AmaZOOnico, a tourist attraction suggested to us by the owner of the lodge we’ve been staying at the Tena. This attraction is part zoo, part animal hospital, part retirement home for native animals that have been kept in captivity. Their goal is to rehabilitate these animals and prepare as many as possible to be reintroduced into the wild. For animals that have been too domesticated or are otherwise unable to be reintroduced due to injury or whatever reason, AmaZOOnico provides them with a forever home.
For us, this provided us with a great opportunity to see the native animals up close, as we’ve primarily seen only glimpses up to this point. Some of the highlights included multiple species of monkeys, talkative parrots, jaguars, peccaries, and a variety of rodents. We also enjoyed seeing some native monkeys and birds that live in the area.
By Lauren Wenger
