Barcelona Zoo is preparing an info centre to teach about responsible ownership of animals

As well as the need to avoid participating in the trade of endangered or exotic species

In the summer of 2024, the Barcelona Zoo will have a new space dedicated to public awareness raising about the importance of responsible pet ownership. The new centre will also teach visitors about the risks and dangers involved in boosting the demand side for endangered species and exotic animals.

The new space will bear the new Center de Descoberta Cuida’ls (or Discovery Centre ‘Take care of them’). It will have information panels, multimedia elements and an area for educational activities, and will offer information and experiences to raise awareness about the importance of responsible animal ownership.

The new centre will be financed by the EU Next Generation Fund, and already counts with a budget of 430,000 euros. With an approximate planned area of 600 m², it will be located next to the access through Ciutadella Park, between the Invertebrates Space and the zebra installation.

Educating the public on their personal role in protecting the local and foreign fauna

Animal welfare is one of the fundamental values ​​of the New Zoo Model. This is why the Cuida'ls Discovery Center will represent an important step forward for Barcelona Zoo to become a first-rate facility in education and awareness of biodiversity.

This new facility will have information panels, multimedia elements and an area for workshops and educational activities. It will be a space that will offer information and experiences to visitors in order to make them aware of the importance of responsible animal ownership.

The contents of this new centre, designed for adults and children, will place special emphasis on the need to avoid the illegal trade of endangered species and animals, in general, as well as the risks posed by the abandonment of exotic animals in natural habitats and ecosystems.

All of this will make it possible to strengthen and spread the role of the Barcelona Zoo as a centre that has adhered, for more than three decades, to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the international agreement that aims to prevent the illegal trafficking of species. 

Visitors will also get to know some of the animals that are now housed in the Zoo thanks to them being rescued under the auspices of the Convention.