Mangal das Garças promotes children's educational activities with turtles

This Sunday (26), the Mangal das Garças Zoobotanical Park will hold another edition of its children's projects Ecozoo and Ecoarte. This October, turtles will be the protagonists: in addition to being presented to the public, they will also be the theme of the creative workshop. The project starts at 9 AM at the park's amphitheater, and participation is free.

The Ecozoo aims to bring the public closer to nature and animals. In an interactive moment, Mangal das Garças technicians present a new inhabitant to visitors each month, sharing curiosities, stories, and interaction. This time, participants will get to know the Amazonian Turtle (Podocnemis expansa), the Tracajá (Podocnemis unifilis), and the Aperema (Rhinoclemmys punctularia), three species of turtles.

“Turtles play indispensable ecological roles in the aquatic ecosystems of the Amazon. These animals contribute to seed dispersal and nutrient cycling, helping to maintain water quality and vegetation. Additionally, they are bioindicators of environmental quality, as their presence and abundance reflect the health of the rivers and streams where they live. Unfortunately, the populations of these species have declined due to poaching and habitat loss, which reinforces the need for conservation and environmental education actions to ensure the survival of threatened Amazonian species,” says Mangal das Garças environmental technician Beatriz Tavares.

Right after the learning and interaction moment, the morning continues with Ecoarte, featuring a “turtle hunt.” The game will be conducted by Cumbunba – Creative Workshops, which will hide some papers with turtle shapes around Mangal, and the children will go out searching. After finding the drawing, they can use all their imagination and creativity to paint and decorate it in a unique way.

Ecoarte and Ecozoo are projects carried out by the state government, through the State Tourism Secretariat (Setur) and the Social Organization Pará 2000, the company that manages Mangal, aiming to promote environmental education, culture, and leisure for children.

In addition to the children's project, Mangal das Garças has daily programs for the public to connect as much as possible with the local fauna and flora. Check it out:

8:30 AM – Feeding the iguanas
9 AM – Tour with daytime raptors (Tuesday to Friday)
10 AM – Release of butterflies (check at the ticket office)
10:15 AM – Feeding the turtles
11 AM, 3 PM, and 5:30 PM – Feeding the herons
5 PM – Tour with the owls (Tuesday to Friday)

Service:
Sunday (26), Ecozoo and Ecoarte project - Turtles. Starting at 9 AM at the amphitheater of the Mangal das Garças Zoobotanical Park
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, from 8 AM to 6 PM (closed on Mondays for maintenance). Free entry
Access to monitored spaces (Butterfly House and Memorial): R$ 9 (full) and R$ 4.50 (half)

Text: Bianca Portela (Intern - Ascom/OS Pará 2000)