Palenque, Mexico - Aluxes EcoPark

Attractions usually don't grab my interest, or hold me in place, these days. At 63, I've reached the stage where a response of "Been there, done that" isn't out of the ordinary. Then there are attractions, like Aluxes EcoPark, that grab my interest and hold me in place, for hours at a time. The attraction brought back childhood memory's of awe and delight.

Aluxes EcoPark is designed to allow animals and birds to live in a "natural" environment. The large birds - macaws, flamingos, storks, ducks, etc. - come and go as they please. The larger animals, if they aren't a threat to humans, are permitted to live peacefully on man-made islands.

The predators - jaguars, pumas, ocelots - are kept in cages. Which is understandable. As a visitor, you wouldn't like to become a meal. Fortunately, the same's done with the venomous snakes!

The entrance fee's inexpensive. 100 pesos (around $5.50) allows the visitor access to the Ecopark for the day. I spent about 4 hours in the park. I left because I was tired, not bored.

Once inside the gates, the passageway leads to the information center. That's another thing about Aluxes EcoPark, they've really laid it out well. Paths and directional signs make it easy to navigate. The paths are raised to keep your feet dry during the rainy season. Raising the path's is also a deterrent for the slithery critters found in this area of Mexico.

Sorry, I've digressed a little. We're in the information center. A large, thatched roof covers an area about the size of a large McDonald's restaurant. No doors to walk through, the path leads you to the stone tiled floor, beneath the thatched roof.

And the greeters are these fellows!

The original reason for establishing Aluxes EcoPark was to re-introduce macaws. Macaws had become extinct about 30 yrs. ago, in the jungle areas around Palenque, Mexico. Poaching, construction and hunting wiped out the macaw population. The Aluxes family created a charitable organization. Then started creating a site appropriate for raising and releasing macaws into the wild.

As the site grew, local's brought in birds and other animals, that were injured. The Aluxes organization had the means and the knowledge to rehabilitate the injured wildlife. Some animals were seriously injured. They'd never survive, if released back into the wild. As time passed, the Aluxes Charity evolved into the EcoPark that's present today.

Macaws are easy birds to entice to visit, on a regular basis. Just leave out some fruits or vegetables and they'll fly to the food. Provide them places to perch and they'll become guests, staying for hours at a time!

The variety of birds captivated me. I'm a photographer and love photographing birds. Photographing birds at Aluxes EcoPark park was fun and entertaining. There's such a wide variety - parrots, macaws, flamingos, storks, ducks, toucan's, and more, their names unknown to me. Adding to the entertainment, the birds, comfortable around people, allowed me a closeness not possible in the wild.

Birds are drawn to Aluxes EcoPark for a variety of reasons. For the macaws, the attraction is food and it's where most were born. For the ducks, canals and small ponds entice them to visit. Flamingos and storks come for food and the water - the food scrounged for in the ponds and canals. Parakeets and toucans were injured and now remain at Aluxes EcoPark in aviaries.

Throughout Aluxes EcoPark, canals allow the flow of fresh water, into the park. The canal's other purpose is to keep animals on islands. These islands are designed for the animal's safety and to stop their escape. Each island is designed for each type of resident. Thus, the island used by boars is muddy and has small enclosures, providing protection from the sun. The monkey's island has ropes, swings and bars. Crocodile islands are left bare.

The trail the visitor takes, follows the canals around the park. Hence, the visitor is following the flow of fresh water being delivered to different locations in the park. As the water flows, so flow the visitors!

People going to Palenque, Mexico have the goal of visiting Mayan Ruins. Most miss the Aluxes EcoPark. It's as worthwhile a visit as the Mayan Ruins, if you like animals. The variety is great. The atmosphere is close to the natural habitats of the animals. For the photographer in me, the place was fantastic!

All the pictures are of live animals.