Río Safari
Rio Safari Elche is a privately owned center managed by a small and family-run team of young and enthusiastic individuals who are fully committed to every aspect of our work.
We tell you about Río Safari
Río Safari is a 12-hectare park located in a tourist spot of the Costa Blanca, in a palm grove of over a hundred years old that is a UNESCO World Heritage site of the town. The park is constantly advancing in the restoration of its facilities and increasingly getting involved in conservation projects, which requires us to attend to many needs. In our case, all our activity is based on our own effort and initiatives, as our income and demands depend entirely on the public that visits us.
After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, Río Safari Elche remained closed to the public during a crucial period of the year for generating the budget for the whole year, in a region heavily dependent on spring and summer holiday tourism, of which only 10% of visitors are locals. Although we lacked income, our daily work still involves the investment of many resources and expenses, and since 2020 the challenge has not been easy to face.
An extraordinary human team
Not all heroes wear capes! Some can be seen here with wheelbarrows, tractors, baskets and trays, drills and screws in hand, brushes, rakes, veterinary kits, branches or raincoats to continue working in the rain, and hats to continue working in the sun. From the animal nutrition and kitchen department to the giraffe caregiver, including the veterinarian and the all-around assistant who helps in all departments, the work is tireless and requires sensitivity and dedication.
We keep working
Despite the difficulties that we have all faced to some extent since 2020, our effort has not faltered. It was the summer of 2020 and, in the midst of the pandemic, after having been closed to the public and with restrictions in place, Río Safari Elche had already planned to renovate the jaguar facility and the decision was made to go ahead with the project.
Over the years since the park was founded in the early 80s, most of our facilities have suffered from the passage of time, deterioration, and were not up to current standards. Year after year, Río Safari Elche has renovated each of its facilities one by one, and the decision was made to redouble efforts so that in 2020 we would not take steps backwards.
Conservation projects 2020/21
Although some budget items of our work necessarily had to be eliminated or reduced since 2020, such as investment in gardening, printing of promotional material, smaller staff for customer service, or advertising rentals, there were others that we made an effort to maintain. In 2020, Río Safari Elche collaborated with its own resources with a project of the Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (CSIC) for the conservation of critically endangered gazelles in the Sahara, for their subsequent reintroduction into their natural habitat. After hosting a group of Cuvier’s gazelles, we welcomed another group in 2021, this time of Dama gazelles.
Come and Visit us!
With your visit, you can support our daily work of caring for more than 500 animals and our involvement in more projects. We still have much work ahead, and during this stage of changes and improvements for our zoo, we express our most sincere gratitude to our visitors.
