Panama is a narrow funnel through which passes a torrent of life – plants, bugs, reptiles, birds, mammals. Even I, no nature connaisseur, am aware of the ridiculous extent of biodiversity here. 1,200 varieties of native orchids? C’mon.
I’m not sure if it should be surprising that El Valle (pop. 6,000) has at least three zoo-ish, places. On one hand, it seems preposterous to pay to see enclosed animals when you can hear, see, and trip over many of them just going to get groceries. On the other hand, why wouldn’t the nexus of business, nature tourism, conservation, education, and animal rescue apply here in particular?
Mariposario
I met the American founder/owner of www.butterflyhavenpanama.com picking up roadside trash – he’s also on El Valle’s Green Team. Bored, he decided to make it happen a few years ago, spent some time learning ‘how to’ at other butterfly havens, got a property and hired staff. It is now one of Cocle Province’s main tourist attractions.
The guide introduced me and two Germans to larvae, caterpillars, pupa, and then to the butterflies themselves. They are in a mesh enclosure, and it’s refreshing to join them inside. They do their thing – flutter around us and eat – while we do ours – gawk and take photos.
Serpentario
Viper, boa, python, fer-de-lance. They are all here, those beautiful killers. The teenaged kid doing the tour hands me a non-venomous species to hold. A thick, cool length of muscle flexing and uncoiling in my hands. Beady eyes, forked tongue, the whole snake archetype. Heading out past the guinea-pig cages, I avoided eye contact.
Zoologico
I was strolling towards the peacock and pheasant enclosures, whose occupants seemed noisier that warranted. But for all I knew, late mornings were happy hour at El Nispero Zoologico. Then, further up the path I saw him sitting there, all casual, a few feet away. A spider monkey.
It wasn’t long before a zoo warden strode up in rubber boots holding a fishing net. The monkey sauntered into the bushes, with the human in lackadaisical pursuit. From my vantage point on the path I kept track and updated the warden, until it was – literally – monkey in the middle. Five long black limbs loped towards me. The monkey took one disdainful look, then bounded past and effortlessly up a tree. The warden emerged and we peered up.
“One of yours?”
“Si, his name is Julian.”
“Does he do this a lot?”
“Yes.”
“What now?”
“We wait. He always comes back once he gets hungry.”