Serpentario Viborana

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Serpentario Viborana
Bothriechis schlegelii, the Eyelash Viper.jpg
Eyelash viper, one of the species in display at Serpentario Viborana
Date opened1994
Location Cartago Province
Flag of Costa Rica.svg  Costa Rica
Coordinates 9°54′04″N83°37′41″W / 9.9011586°N 83.6280386°W / 9.9011586; -83.6280386
No. of animals50+

Project Vibroana (Spanish : Serpentario Viborana) is a privately operated serpentarium, rescue centre and environmental education facility located near Turrialba Volcano in the Cartago Province of Costa Rica. The centre is dedicated to the rehabilitation of mistreated, injured, orphaned, and/or confiscated snakes, focusing primarily on venomous species. [1] Once the animals are fully rehabilitated, they are reintroduced into their natural habitats in protected areas, mainly in the Pacuare River primary forest. Visitors are permitted in the centre during certain times each day. The center was created and is run by Minor Camacho, a Costa Rican herpetologist. [2] The educational guide explores the natural history and habitat of poisonous snakes more than their taxonomy. [1]

Spanish language Romance language

Spanish or Castilian is a Romance language that originated in the Castile region of Spain and today has hundreds of millions of native speakers in the Americas and Spain. It is a global language and the world's second-most spoken native language, after Mandarin Chinese.

Herpetarium

A herpetarium is a zoological exhibition space for reptiles and amphibians, most commonly a dedicated area of a larger zoo. A herpetarium which specializes in snakes is an ophidiarium or serpentarium, which are more common as stand-alone entities. Many serpentariums milk snakes for venom for medical and scientific research.

Environmental education Branch of pedagogy

Environmental education (EE) refers to organized efforts to teach how natural environments function, and particularly, how human beings can manage behavior and ecosystems to live sustainably. It is a multi-disciplinary field integrating disciplines such as biology, chemistry, physics, ecology, earth science, atmospheric science, mathematics, and geography. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) states that EE is vital in imparting an inherent respect for nature amongst society and in enhancing public environmental awareness. UNESCO emphasises the role of EE in safeguarding future global developments of societal quality of life (QOL), through the protection of the environment, eradication of poverty, minimization of inequalities and insurance of sustainable development. The term often implies education within the school system, from primary to post-secondary. However, it sometimes includes all efforts to educate the public and other audiences, including print materials, websites, media campaigns, etc.. There are also ways that environmental education is taught outside the traditional classroom. Aquariums, zoos, parks, and nature centers all have ways of teaching the public about the environment.

Contents

The Viborana centre also doubles as a snake call centre, with the owner and staff going out to homes to remove venomous snakes from places where they might inconvenience people. [1]

History

Founded by Minor Camacho Loaiza, a former reptile handler, [3] trained at the University of Costa Rica and former chief of the Herpetarium division of the Department of Biochemistry of that University. The centre began as a herpetarium exhibition for reptiles and amphibians. Inspired on research findings that suggested an increase in snake populations around the Pacurare River sugarcane landscapes, the herpetarium redirected its focus towards the study of the dynamics of the Natural History of snakes in the fields of Cartago. [4]

University of Costa Rica public university in Costa Rica

The University of Costa Rica is a public university in the Republic of Costa Rica, in Central America. Its main campus, Ciudad Universitaria Rodrigo Facio, is located in San Pedro Montes de Oca, in the province of San José. It is the oldest, largest, and most prestigious institution of higher learning in Costa Rica, originally established as the Universidad de Santo Tomás in 1843. It is also the most important research university in the country, and Central America. Approximately 45,000 students attend UCR throughout the year.

Reptile class of animals

Reptiles are tetrapod animals in the class Reptilia, comprising today's turtles, crocodilians, snakes, amphisbaenians, lizards, tuatara, and their extinct relatives. The study of these traditional reptile orders, historically combined with that of modern amphibians, is called herpetology.

Amphibian A class of ectothermic tetrapods, which typically breed in water

Amphibians are ectothermic, tetrapod vertebrates of the class Amphibia. Modern amphibians are all Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arboreal or freshwater aquatic ecosystems. Thus amphibians typically start out as larvae living in water, but some species have developed behavioural adaptations to bypass this. The young generally undergo metamorphosis from larva with gills to an adult air-breathing form with lungs. Amphibians use their skin as a secondary respiratory surface and some small terrestrial salamanders and frogs lack lungs and rely entirely on their skin. They are superficially similar to lizards but, along with mammals and birds, reptiles are amniotes and do not require water bodies in which to breed. With their complex reproductive needs and permeable skins, amphibians are often ecological indicators; in recent decades there has been a dramatic decline in amphibian populations for many species around the globe.

Exhibits

The centre is devoted to indigenous reptiles. Many are collected from local homes, yards, or from areas about to be burned under the controlled burning program to keep summer grass fires from threatening the local homes. Most of the reptiles end up being relocated to uninhabited areas.

In biogeography, a species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention. The term is equivalent to the concept of native or autochthonous species. Every wild organism has its own natural range of distribution in which it is regarded as indigenous. Outside this native range, a species may be introduced by human activity, either intentionally or unintentionally; it is then referred to as an introduced species within the regions where it was anthropogenically introduced.

Animals at the centre include the Bothrops lanceolatus — known as the fer-de-lance; Bothriechis schlegelii , the eyelash viper; large and small pythons, coral snakes, and rattlesnakes, among others.

<i>Bothrops lanceolatus</i> species of reptile

Bothrops lanceolatus — known as the fer-de-lance, Martinican pit viper, and Martinique lancehead — is a species of pit viper generally considered endemic to the island of Martinique. No one has satisfactorily explained why it has flourished there but is unknown on nearly all other Caribbean islands. Some reserve the common name fer-de-lance for this species, while others apply that name to other Bothrops species as well. No subspecies are currently recognized.

<i>Bothriechis schlegelii</i> species of reptile

Bothriechis schlegelii, the eyelash viper, is a venomous pit viper species found in Central and South America. Small and arboreal, this species is characterized by a wide array of color variations, as well as the superciliary scales above the eyes. It is the most common of the green palm-pitvipers, and is often present in zoological exhibits. The specific name schlegelii honors Hermann Schlegel, who was a German ornithologist and herpetologist. For other common names see below. No subspecies are currently recognized.

Pythonidae family of nonvenomous snakes

The Pythonidae, commonly known simply as pythons, from the Greek word python (πυθων), are a family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia. Among its members are some of the largest snakes in the world. Eight genera and 31 species are currently recognized.

See also

Serpentario de Monteverde

Serpentario de Monteverde is an urban park of approximately 14 hectares, located in southern Monteverde, in the Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica. It has an average altitude of 1327 meters and is contiguous to the Monteverde Orchid Garden to the north and the Butterfly Garden to the south. The site includes reptiles, poison arrow frogs and over 20 species of snakes. Most species in the serpentarium can be found wild in the surrounding forests.

Related Research Articles

Cartago, Costa Rica City in Cartago Province, Costa Rica

Cartago is the third largest city in Costa Rica, about 25 km (16 mi) east of the capital, San José. It is at an elevation of about 1435 m above sea level, at the base of the Irazú Volcano. Cartago is the capital of Cartago province, and was the capital of Costa Rica from 1574 to 1824. The city covers an area of 152,68 km². It includes the districts of city downtown: Oriental, Occidental, San Nicolás, El Carmen (north), Dulce Nombre, San Francisco, and Guadalupe (Arenilla). The city is part, with the cities of San Rafael de Oreamuno and Tejar del Guarco, of a continuous urban area that, in 2008, had a population of 156,600 inhabitants, according to the Statistics and Census Institute of Costa Rica.

A reptile centre is typically a facility devoted to keeping living reptiles, educating the public about reptiles, and serving as a control centre for collecting reptiles that turn up in populated areas. Most are public-access, run as private business or state-sponsored. Some centres work with venomous reptiles as venom research labs. Others are simply privately run zoos devoted to solely to reptiles or are incorporated into larger zoos or organizations.

Wildlife of Costa Rica

The Wildlife of Costa Rica comprises all naturally occurring animals, fungi and plants that reside in this Central American country. Costa Rica supports an enormous variety of wildlife, due in large part to its geographic position between the North and South American continents, its neotropical climate, and its wide variety of habitats. Costa Rica is home to more than 500,000 species, which represents nearly 4% of the total species estimated worldwide, making Costa Rica one of the 20 countries with the highest biodiversity in the world. Of these 500,000 species, a little more than 300,000 are insects.

Turrialba Volcano mountain

Turrialba Volcano is an active volcano in central Costa Rica that has been explosively eruptive in recent years including 2016 and in January, March and April 2017. Visitors used to be able to hike down into the main crater, but increased volcanic activity in 2014-17, resulting in large clouds of volcanic ash, has caused the surrounding Turrialba Volcano National Park to close.

The Fort Worth Zoo is a zoo in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, that was founded in 1909 with one lion, two bear cubs, an alligator, a coyote, a peacock and a few rabbits. The zoo now is home to 7,000 native and exotic animals and has been named as a top zoo in the nation by Family Life magazine, the Los Angeles Times and USA Today, as well as one of the top zoos in the South by Southern Living Reader's Choice Awards.

Pacuare River river in Costa Rica

The Pacuare River, or the Río Pacuare, flows approximately 108 kilometres (67 mi) to the Caribbean. It is a popular location for white water rafting, whitewater kayaking and riverboarding. The rainforests that surround the river are home to exotic animal species such as jaguars, monkeys, ocelots, and a very large number of birds. Also it was considered one of the 5 nicest rivers to practice rafting.

Piedras Blancas National Park

Piedras Blancas National Park is a national park part of the Osa Conservation Area. It is found in the Puntarenas Province of southern Costa Rica near the town of La Gamba. It protects rainforests and beaches near the Golfo Dulce on the Pacific Coast. It used to operate as part of the Corcovado National Park called the Esquinas Sector from 1991 before becoming a separate park in 1999. Until the mid-90s, much of the forest in the park was severely endangered by logging.

Guayabo de Turrialba

Guayabo de Turrialba is an archeological site located in Turrialba, within the Central Volcanic Conservation Area in the Cartago Province, Costa Rica. It is protected within the Guayabo National Monument.

Africam Safari zoo in Puebla, Mexico

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Clodomiro Picado Twight Costa Rican scientist

Clodomiro Picado Twight, also known as "Clorito Picado", was a Costa Rican scientist, born in Nicaragua, who was recognized for his research and discoveries. He was a pioneer in the researching of snakes and serpent venoms; his internationally recognized achievement is the development of various antivenins. His work on molds was a precursor to the formal discovery of penicillin. His work resulted in compounds which he used to treat patients at least one year before the re-discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming. He wrote over 115 works, mainly books and monographs.

Jaguar Rescue Center

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Turrialba City and district in Cartago, Costa Rica

Turrialba is a small city in Cartago Province of Costa Rica with an estimated population of 35,618. The main industries are textiles, agriculture and tourism. The Pacuare and Reventazón Rivers are notable for whitewater rafting, making Turrialba a mecca for the sport.

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Osa Wildlife Sanctuary animal rescue center in Costa Rica

The Osa Wildlife Sanctuary or Caña Blanca Wildlife Sanctuary, is an animal rescue center located in Osa Peninsula in southwestern Costa Rica. The Sanctuary is accessible only by boat and is completely surrounded by Piedras Blancas National Park. The centre is dedicated to the rehabilitation of mistreated, injured, orphaned, and/or confiscated animals. Once the animals are fully rehabilitated, they are reintroduced into their natural habitats in protected areas within Costa Rica, including the Corcovado National Park.

Arenal Eco Zoo

The Arenal Eco Zoo is a nature center located in western Alajuela Province, Costa Rica. It is located across Lake Arenal, west of Arenal Volcano National Park, right at the border between Alajuela and Guanacaste Provinces.

The Instituto Clodomiro Picado is a research center in Coronado, San José Province, Costa Rica. Established in 1970, the institute is a research unit of the Universidad de Costa Rica, responsible for the production of snake antiophidic serums and scientific research on serpents and their venoms, as well as educational and extension programs in rural areas and hospitals. It received its name in honor of Costa Rican scientist Clodomiro Picado Twight.

La Marina Wildlife Rescue Center, or La Marina Zoo is an animal rescue centre located 8.5 km northeast of Ciudad Quesada, between Palmera and Aguas Zarcas, in the Alajuela Province of Costa Rica. The centre is dedicated to the rehabilitation of mistreated, injured, orphaned, and/or confiscated animals. Once the animals are fully rehabilitated, they are reintroduced into their natural habitats in protected areas within Costa Rica, primarily in the Parque Nacional Juan Castro Blanco to the south of the centre.

Monteverde Theme Park

The Monteverde Theme Park, previously known as Frog Pond Ranarium, located in Santa Elena, north of Monteverde, Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica, is a frog pond turned animal theme park that houses a butterfly farm with approximately 30 live butterflies species and other insects and over 25 species of frogs and other amphibians from around the country in a climate controlled habitat.

The architecture of Costa Rica includes remains from the pre-Colombian Era, all the way to modern buildings that form part of the nation’s contemporary infrastructure. There is a unique architectural landscape present in Costa Rica that is reflective of the nation’s history and vibrant culture. The nation encompasses an array of historical buildings from both the pre-colonial era and post-colonial era, such as Guayabo and the Basilica de Nuestra Senora de los Angeles. The contemporary architectural scene in Costa Rica has also captured global attention, exemplified by structures such as Casa Flotanta. Architecture in Costa Rica is reflective of the nation’s environmental conservation policies. This is reflected in the distinctive and extensive presence of canopy bridges throughout the nation, constructed in the aim of preventing rainforest destruction.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kahler, Karl (31 Aug 2015). "Turrialba: Why the population explosion of Costa Rican snakes near people?". The Tico Times . Retrieved 21 Sep 2016.
  2. ↑ Jean McNeil, Keith Drew (2012). The Rough Guide to Costa Rica. Penguin Books. p. 149. ISBN   1405392010.
  3. ↑ Blake, Beatrice (2009). The New Key to Costa Rica. Ulysses Press. p. 194. ISBN   1569756961.
  4. ↑ "Serpientes en Costa Rica". Universidad de Costa Rica. 10 Feb 2010. Retrieved 28 Sep 2016.
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