This zoo is not like others. Zoo de Castellar lies between beautiful mountains halfway between Malaga and Gibraltar in the South of Spain. Before the animal rights activists cast the first stone at me, let me quickly add that Castellar zoo is an animal rescue center. These animals were rescued from black markets and treated badly. Here they get a second chance to a better life, and visitors meet a completely different concept of zoo: they can play, feed and interact with many of its habitants.
At the time of my visit, the center prided itself on having two 6-week-old white lion cubs, Aslan and Safira, probably the cutest little creatures I have ever seen in my life. The fact that I was allowed to play with them for about 10 minutes definitely made this experience the highlight of my trip.
However dwarfed by the lion cubs, this leopard baby is also worth mentioning. Timing is crucial, as they only come out twice a day.
The athmosphere of the zoo is very friendly, the animals are kept safe and are clearly loved by the zookeepers who are mostly volunteers.
I have never seen a "Honey bear" (Oso de la Miel) before, yet alone held one. These furry nocturnal animals live in the forests of Central and South America. As he settled in my arms wrapping his long tail around my arm, I was immediately in love.
Besides wild cats, visitors can feed monkeys and about 25 different kind of parrots, and learn about other large birds such as eagles, falcons and owls.
Highly recommended!