Attractions & Activities
- Malaga - Antequera Lobo Park
Antequera Lobo Park
Relentlessly hunted and gunned down, the wolf has come perilously
close to extinction. Places where this enigmatic predator
once prowled in abundance are now either home to just a few
wolves or totally bereft of the species. The only traces of
the animal still to be found in Andalusia are in the Sierra
Morena (Jaén), where just fifty remain.
Shunning the popular tradition that has earned the wolf such
a bad name over the centuries, some individuals are now fighting
to secure its recovery through a series of information campaigns.
One such figure is Daniel Weigend, a psychologist by profession,
who, while looking into the eyes of a wolf one day, was so
moved by the animal’s gaze that he founded Lobo Park.
Located at the heart of a natural setting, El Torcal de Antequera,
this 40- hectare plus enclosure is the only theme park in
existence devoted to this particular predator. It is home
to four sub-species of the animal: the European, Iberian,
American Timber and rare Polar wolves. All can be clearly
viewed in guided tours that explain to the visitor how they
communicate, play, hunt and feed.
The Lobo Park project is beginning to bear fruit: the birth
of four Russian wolf clubs and one of the polar variety represent
a huge step forward, particularly in the case of the latter
species, since it is the first example of captive reproduction
to be found anywhere in the world.
In summer, a veritable weekend concert of howls will delight
the ears of tourists following a succulent barbeque enjoyed
in the park’s dinning area. And initiative introduced
in 2005 aims to provide visitors with more audiovisual involvement
by enabling them to witness Daniel communicating with the
wolves through a series of howls beneath the most lycanthropic
moon to be found anywhere in the human and animal kingdoms.
However, our lupine friend is not the park’s only attraction.
Its farm school is inhabited by other types of prowler that
will delight the younger visitor: ducks, hens, goats, the
currently –popular Vietnamese pig and sheep are all
totally at home here, not forgetting, of course, the smartest
creature of them all – Oscar the fox.
A visit to Lobo Park is an experience that is an enjoyable
and original as it is educative. When we have taken a closer,
look at these enigmatic animals, after dancing and howling
with them in the moonlight, we will be left asking just one
question: who’s still afraid of the big, bad wolf?
Ctra. Antequera- Álora (A343), km. 16. Antequera
Tel. +34 952031107
Opening Hours:
November – April: 10 to 18. Mondays to Sundays
May – October: 10 to 20. Mondays to Sundays
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