WITHOUT a doubt, one of the most fascinating tourist attractions on the Costa del Sol has to be Fuengirola Zoo.

 This award-winning national gem is hidden away in the heart of Fuengirola itself, but is light years away from the hustle and bustle of the tourist resort. Stepping inside the gates is akin to entering another world, where lush rain forests jostle with Asiatic water habitats, arid deserts and subterranean caverns. One of the focal points is a giant artificial baobab tree, an exact replica of a real one which still stands in Africa and is believed to be at least 1000 years old. Nicknamed the ‘upside-down tree,’ because its branches resemble roots, its hollow centre was traditionally used as a dwelling by poorer African families. Now, the Fuengirola version houses some of the 140 species of wildlife represented at the zoo.

  A visit to this zoo is a treat for all ages, and requires a good two to three hours to do it justice. Forget any notions of unhappy, caged or restricted animals and birds: all the species here have their own domains within which they have complete freedom. At every turn, a new habitat beckons and visitors are able to view animals and birds in their natural environments. Natural barriers and strategically-placed glass walls allow you to get close up to many magnificent – and potentially dangerous – species, and don’t forget to look up: in addition to myriad birds enjoying free flight, monkeys happily swing from tree to tree in the forest canopy.

 However, it was not always so. There has been a zoo in Fuengirola since the 1970s, but it was typical of its time in that it had cages, bars and artificial enclosures. As a result, many species failed to thrive or reproduce in such cramped and unnatural conditions.
 In 1998, the zoo was taken over by Rain Forest, who set out to build a dream for the new century.

 A team of architects, builders, sculptors, painters and gardeners set about making the visionary designs a reality, and over the course of two years, the zoo’s appearance was completely transformed. All the fences and buildings disappeared, rivers and waterfalls sprang up, along with caves, valleys and rocks. The sub-tropical vegetation which grows on the coast of Malaga province served to re-create the tropical rainforests of Madagascar, Equatorial Africa and Southeast Asia.

  The small size of the complex – it covers just over two hectares -- presented quite a challenge. Subterranean stables were built, and deep canyons and raised gardens were erected to screen off the nearby buildings. And so the zoo grew upwards, giving visitors the impression of being within a much larger site.

In June 2001 -- and some five million euros later -- the first phase of the project opened  to the public, shattering once and for all the image of iron bars and concrete, and setting the definitive example for future projects. A further eight months later, the second and final phase was opened and the total cost stood at eight million euros.
 From its conception, Fuengirola Zoo was designed to house species in danger of extinction, and to encourage breeding programmes to safeguard their future and that of the natural world. For this reason, the zoo participates in 35 European programmes involved with these species and a series of successful births demonstrates the success of its policies.
  Its re-creation of a mangrove swamp won the ‘Best in Europe’ award, given by conservationists for the most realistic and best-maintained environment. It now houses fish, birds and turtles, which can be viewed both above and below the waterline.
  The lives of zoo animals were transformed as soon as they arrived at their new home, and this was emphatically demonstrated by the chimpanzees.
 The ‘old’ zoo had kept -- and even bred -- these intelligent primates in unhealthy cages, on their own or in pairs and this meant they had developed completely abnormal behavioural patterns, such as infanticide. But over a two-year period, while the new work was in progress, keepers and veterinary staff had managed to create a more-or-less stable social unit with five or six of these animals.
 And on the day they emerged to explore their new territory, their lives changed forever as, for the first time, they began to behave like chimpanzees in a natural environment.  Last December, they provided staff with a great surprise – a new baby. The mother, Lola, the ruling matriarch of the family, was thought to have been too old to breed but Noelia, as she has been named, arrived safely. And such was the comfort and security enjoyed by the ‘family’ that Lola took her new baby to the outer enclosures, where she could be viewed by the public, only a couple of days after the birth.
  Another high-profile primate, the orang-outang (remember ‘Clyde’ in the Clint Eastwood film, Every Which Way But Loose?)  is a highlight of the zoo.
 This specie, native to Borneo and Sumatra, is severely endangered as a result of losing its natural habitat to de-forestation and wildfires. In fact, more than 80 per cent of its forest territory has been destroyed over the last 20 years, and since each female only breeds every eight or nine years, numbers are now dangerously low in the wild. 
  There are two females at the zoo: Mukah, 10, who came from Hong Kong Zoo in 2005, and Siera, 12, newly-arrived from St Petersburg, Russia. She is still in the process of adapting to her new home but staff and vets hope she will become pregnant soon in order to continue the breeding programme.
 Nakal, the 19-year-old male, arrived from Paignton Zoo, Devon, in 2006 and is the father of Banggy, the very first orang-outang to be born in Spain, who is now delighting visitors as he plays with his mother, Mukah.
 The mental ability of orang-outangs is very impressive, and parents teach their offspring carefully. Typical lessons are: how to use leaves if they were gloves, and how to use makeshift wooden tools to remove insects from trunks or extract seeds of thorny fruits – both distinctly humanoid attributes.
  For the first time ever in Spain, a Sri Lankan leopard cub was born at the zoo last autumn and is now quite at ease in the outer enclosures where she is easily seen by visitors. Only 20 zoos worldwide have any of these magnificent creatures, and there are just 63 living in captivity. They are notoriously difficult to breed successfully, and only six cubs were born in the world last year.
 The leopard family lives in an exact replica of a mountainside in Equatorial Africa, happily co-existing with other species – as they do in the wild. This is another novel feature of the zoo: great pains have been taken to group different species together in these habitats, exactly as would happen naturally.
The leopards, like many other animals here, are nocturnal and prefer to sleep during the day. During July and August, they form one of the highlights of the special nightly tours which allow visitors a unique insight into the true habits of many fascinating species. Other ‘stars of the night’ include the armadillos, porcupines and otters.
 Another major success story was the birth of a female Sumatran tiger cub last autumn – also a first for any zoo in Spain. Sumatran tigers, smallest of the six types of tiger, are classed as ‘critically endangered’ and only around 400 still exist in the wild. They are already extinct in Indonesia and Java.
The breed faces three threats: illegal hunting -- mainly to supply an increasing demand for tiger bones which are used in many forms of traditional Asian medicine -- the destruction of its habitat and the gradual disappearance of its prey.
 This precious cub can now be seen playing with her mother in a manner familiar to all cat-lovers – if on a somewhat larger scale – in the spectacular enclosure which re-creates the ruins of a Cambodian temple.  
 Other new arrivals for this year’s visitors include another baby gibbon, which was born in October to a female which had already produced one offspring for the zoo, a baby pigmy hippopotamus and several baby lemurs.
Factfile:
The zoo is situated on Avenida Camillo Jose Cela, just a few minutes’ walk from the bus and train stations. Driving? From the south, take exit 208 off the motorway A7/N340, (Water Park and Miramar Centre) and from the north, use exit 210, follow the signs for  Parque Sol and Zoo.
Opening hours: weekdays from 10am -- 7pm until June15, from 10am – 8pm (June 16 -- 22); and from 10am – 8.30pm (June 23 -- 30.)
Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, from 10am – 8pm (June 1 – 15); 10am – 9pm (June 16 – 22); 10am – 9.30pm (June 23 – 30).
From July 1, it is open every day from 10am until midnight.
Visitors are not admitted less than one hour before the zoo closes.
Admission prices: (individuals) adults: 14.90€; children aged 3 – 9 and pensioners, 10.20€.
Groups (minimum 25 persons): adults, 11.05€; children and pensioners, 8.20€
For more information telephone 952 666 301 or visit
www.zoofuengirola.com