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The
Mini Zoo of the Forestry Department at Union includes a number of
indigenous as well as exotic species.
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St. Lucia Iguana
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The Iguana is the largest lizard found on the mainland of St. Lucia.
Iguanas are tree dwellers that are often seen on the ground. They
feed on leaves, shoots and fruits. Iguanas are basically green, with
brown or black markings and a crest of spines along the neck.
They grow up to six feet in length about half of
which is the whip-like tail. The females lay up to seventeen eggs in
the ground which take about fourteen weeks to hatch. Now five St.
Lucia Iguanas are kept at the zoo for display purposes.
Iguanas are
now mostly found along the northeast coast of the island such as Louvet, Grand Anse, etc. |
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St. Lucian Parrot
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The St. Lucian Parrot is known
locally as "Jacquot." This beautiful bird is mainly green in colour,
with a cobalt blue forehead, merging through turquoise to green on
the cheeks with a scarlet breast. The birds occupy the forest canopy
where they feed on fruit, nuts, and berries of the surrounding
trees. They mature in five years, laying two to three white eggs in
the hollow of trees between the months of March and June.
In the mid 1970s our
National Bird faced extinction as a result of hunting, habitat
destruction and illegal bird trading. Jacquot is now confined to the
mountainous interiors of Quilesse, Edmund Forest, Millet and
Patience.
St. Lucian Parrots,
Lucy and Oswald which were born at Jersey Zoo and were brought to
St. Lucia in 1989, are now resident at our zoo. Jerry was brought
from the wild in 1997. It is estimated that there are now over 800 birds
in the wild.
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Boa Constrictor
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The
Boa Constrictor or tete-chien as it is known locally is one of the
four species of snakes native to St. Lucia. The three others are the Fer-de-Lance, the rare Maria Island snake and the tiny, soil
dwelling blind worm snake.
The
Boa Constrictor is a harmless animal which kills its prey by
placing two or three coils around its victims and squeezing until it
suffocates.
The
Boa is restricted to drier areas in St. Lucia and the two currently at
our Mini Zoo came from Monchy and Cul-de-Sac. Boas grow up to 14 feet
in length and are identified by their tan or pink colour with
chocolate-brown bands.
Boas
do not harm man and are protected by law.
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You also can observe
Agouti, Land Tortoise,
Macaw, Orange Winged Parrot, etc. in
Mini Zoo. |
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Union Nature Trails &
Mini Zoo => |
Access
10 min. from Castries by car
Public Transportation:
1B bus from Castries to Union
*Public Buses are not scheduled.
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Office Hours
8:30 am to 4:00 pm
Monday to Friday |
Fee for Nature Trail & Mini Zoo
5
EC Dollars or 2 US Dollars per person, half price for kids
*Prices subject to
change. |
For more information
Forestry Department: (758) 468-5649 |
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Forestry Department
Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry & Fisheries
All rights reserved
Design and Photo by Takashi Aoki
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