Gran Canaria: “Poema del Mar“ Aquarium Welcomes First Visitors
Gran Canaria’s new large-scale aquarium Poema del Mar – a project of the Loro Parque group of companies based on the neighbouring island of Tenerife (c.f. EAP, 2/15 & EAP news from May 29th, 2015) – was officially inaugurated this past Sunday in the island’s capital of Las Palmas, next to the cruise ship pier at Sanapú dock. Wolfgang Kiessling (President of the Loro Parque group) and his son Christoph (Vice President) welcomed more than 500 guests at the opening ceremony.
The aquarium, which is aimed at protecting biodiversity and developing sustainable tourism in the region, is divided into three different theme areas: At the beginning of the tour, visitors walk through the “jungle”, an impressive and endangered habitat where numerous fascinating animals live in and around the water. The next zone is the “reef”: A gigantic cylinder filled with 400,000 litres of water is home to numerous fish and coral species that can be observed from several levels. The highlight of the tour through the aquarium is the “deep sea” habitat displayed in a large water basin of 5.5 million litres volumetric capacity. Through a 36 metre long and 7.30 metre high curved aquarium pane, guests can gaze at the partly mystically appearing creatures from the dark depths of the oceans.
Poema del Mar also focuses on the natural habitats of the Atlantic, in particular on the marine ecosystems of the Canary Islands and the African Atlantic coast. The conservation activities of the aquarium are coordinated by the Loro Parque Foundation. The Loro Parque Group (operator of the Loro Parque animal park and Siam Park water park in Tenerife) is planning another major project for the third largest of the Canary Islands: Gran Canaria is foreseen to become home of a new large-scale water park, which – according to the plan – will be developed within the next two years. (eap)
