Iquitos Day 3 – AmazonForever.org BioPark Exploration Day

Tomorrow by 10 am, the real Amazon Rainforest adventure begins as we head 90 minutes (50 km) downriver to the Explorama Lodge and the first of three research reserves in the rainforest basin. But first, those of us who flew in a day early had the opportunity to visit the Amazon Forever – BioPark. 

It is a manatee rehabilitation reserve. Though it is a park anyone can visit, it is not a touristy pose for photos touch the animals park. It is a biological, educational reserve with the goal of returning the sea life and jungle life back to the river or rainforest when healthy and ready. Those that can’t return find sanctuary with the bio park or other association. Education of the local community and school-age children are their other main focus. Many don’t know that most rainforest animals found in nature can’t survive after human contact. Of course, it depends on that human contact and such. So the Bio Park works to help today’s youth know what to do and not to do with animals in their environment. 

It was amazing to see the rehabilitation cycle of manatees and all the hard work the Bio Park goes through. Our guide was a wonderful, caring soul who took the time to share with us in English all about the park’s efforts and care for the animals. 

We learned how the team of dedicated marine biologists and scientists work to rehabilitate baby manatees from purified waters to river-quality water, all with the primary goal of returning them in health back to their home in the Amazon River. 

The parrots on site, from the smallest to the largest, were full of beautiful colors, and a few, I swear, were posing and hamming it up for photos. Those photos are on my Nikon DSLR that I can’t upload until I return stateside and home to my desktop computer. Due to the potential of moisture damage to computers and wanting to travel “light,” I chose to take my Surface rather than my laptop. 

We saw baby alligators and turtles of all sizes in large volumes, as well as in multiple stages of rehabilitation. Some are almost ready to be returned to the Amazon River.

We also learned about a sweet ant-eater who has a broken leg that can’t be repaired, so he has become a permanent resident of the BioPark.

The fish in the lake were amazingly huge. We got a chance to feed them and see the bright orange colors on their back. Some of the fish we fed were nearly 12 feet long. It was cool to also learn how the fish (picacha) are protected only during the breeding season. And even cooler was how the female fish lays over 200 eggs, then leaves the male fish to protect the eggs until they hatch. 

Toward the end of our half-day at the BioPark, we also had the opportunity to explore their youth learning walkway. Surprisingly enough, less than 25% of Peruvian Youth are educated about the rainforest, its inhabitants, and the need for conservation of the Amazon Rainforest. 

The pathway was filled with amazing wood carvings of rainforest animals from reclaimed wood (see pictures at the end of today’s post). The Bosque de Huayo (Guardian of the Forest) was incredible, standing over 20 feet tall. I could not pass up the opportunity to pose with the guardian in his protective stance.

The grandfather of the rainforest was also on the path, but he, unlike all the others, was made of stone. He was a great place to welcome all of us for a fabulous group photo. 

The reclaimed wood carvings were impressive… alligator, snake, iguana, turtle, and antelope.