The actions to care for animals and the Atlantic Forest carried out by Dreams Eco Park in Foz do Iguaçu have attracted the attention of teachers and academics in the region.
This week, the ecological park welcomed a group of graduate students from Uniamérica's Wild and Exotic Animal Welfare course.
They were welcomed by the environmental unit's veterinarians. They visited the horse stables, the birds of prey enclosure and watched the flight of the birds guided by the park's falconers.
During the technical visit, veterinarian Stacy Wu explained to the students the team's daily care in recovering and maintaining the animals' physical and psychological health. "When the animals arrive at the park, victims of mistreatment or trafficking, there is a whole process of management carried out by biologists, veterinarians and animal welfare specialists with the aim of recovering the birds," she said.
According to the veterinarian, most of them arrive debilitated. Some are reintroduced into the wild, but the vast majority end up being taken in permanently by Eco Park". In May, the unit received 16 birds that had been trafficked.
The visit
For falconer Bruno Nogueira, welcoming these students is a way of contributing to the training of future professionals. "During these visits, we show them a little of our work. How much we care about the well-being of the animals, the rivers and the Atlantic Forest as a whole," he explained.
For the course coordinator, Anna Cecília, the aim of the visit was to offer a practical lesson in the correct management to promote animal welfare. "We wanted to observe the differences between a traditional zoo and a wildlife enterprise that applies welfare strategies. It was a great experience for our students," she said.
More academics
Last week, the park welcomed students from UDC's veterinary course.
"As well as showing our work, during these visits we try to encourage visitors to appreciate the environment, because when we stop to look at the beauty, we become interested in taking care of it. We start to care," said Bruno.
The Park
Dreams Eco Park is an ecological park and a place to raise awareness and care for birds of prey. It also houses a mini farm and offers horseback riding.
It is open daily from 9am to 12.30pm and from 2.30pm to 6pm. To learn about the techniques applied by the Falconry Center, learn about the different species of birds of prey and watch the birds fly, you can choose two times: at 10:30 am and at 4 pm. The Criollo horse show also takes place at two times: 10am and 3.30pm.
