During a symbolic event, the mayor of Guadalajara, Ana Guarinos, released a real owl today that had been cared for at the Wildlife Recovery Center of Guadalajara for the past month and a half, and is now being reintroduced into its natural habitat.
«This is a young female specimen of a real owl that was found injured inside an industrial warehouse in Guadalajara, after a probable collision with a glass, when it weighed barely one and a half kilos, and was transferred to the Wildlife Recovery Center, where they treated and cared for it,» highlighted Guarinos, who was accompanied at this event by the Councilor for the Environment, José Luis Alguacil; the local mayor of Usanos, Ismael Sánchez, and the director of the municipal Zoo, Juan Carlos Ortega.
The mayor emphasized the importance of natural biodiversity and the necessary conservation of wildlife and flora. «The real owl, which Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente called ‘Gran Duque,’ is currently not a threatened species, but it is a clear example of Iberian fauna that allows us to confirm, along with other birds of prey, the enormous biodiversity of the municipality of Guadalajara, where in addition to the city, we have a lot of countryside and green areas with natural values that we want to preserve.»
In this context, Guarinos recalled that a year ago, the City Council of Guadalajara approved its Green Infrastructure and Biodiversity Plan and the Tree Plan of Guadalajara, «two projects that aim to enhance the biodiversity of the city, as well as the adoption of environmental measures for the dissemination, conservation, improvement, and protection of the urban natural environment and its surroundings.»
This Green Infrastructure and Biodiversity Plan, expected to last for 12 years, includes short, medium, and long-term measures and also aims to enhance citizens’ knowledge of their green areas and involve them in their care, conservation, and reorganization.
Furthermore, Guarinos emphasized the effort and dedication of the Recovery Center team that operates in collaboration between the City Council of Guadalajara and the Castilla-La Mancha Regional Government. «Thanks to the tireless work of our professionals, today we can return this magnificent specimen to nature, and it is not the only one, as the Species Recovery Center, located in the municipal zoo, cares for about 650 animals a year that arrive injured from accidents, collisions with power lines, or have been found with health problems. There, they are treated and cared for until their recovery is possible, and they are reintroduced back into nature, which is the ultimate goal, and something that is achieved in 60% of cases.»
On the other hand, the Councilor for the Environment, José Luis Alguacil, pointed out that the Guadalajara zoo, where the animals from the Recovery Center that cannot be reintroduced remain, continues to be one of the most visited places in the city, «with over 3,000 visitors every weekend.»
He also highlighted the new actions to be carried out at the municipal zoo this year, with an investment of 80,000 euros, such as a new enclosure for Boreal lynxes and a new aviary for recovered birds of prey.
