About the Zoo & Wildlife

The Municipal Zoological Park "Quinzinho de Barros" (the City Zoo of Sorocaba) is a 15-hectare (37-acre) zoo located in the municipality of Sorocaba, state of São Paulo, Brazil. It is a member of the Society of Brazilian Zoos (SZB), and is considered Brazil's second zoo in terms of species. The zoo lies in the Vila Hortência district, in the eastern area of the town of Sorocaba and covers an area of approximately 15 ha (37 acres). It includes a strip of transitional Atlantic Forest in its secondary stage, a lake, as well as the Historical Museum of Sorocaba. According to a survey carried out in 1992 by the Society of Brazilian Zoos, it sheltered 1,487 specimens of 353 different species of mammals, birds and reptiles at that time. 70% belonged to the Brazilian fauna; among these, 36 species were threatened by extinction. Classified as "A", the highest rank granted by the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), the zoo is a reference in Latin America in terms of leisure, research, preservation, and environmental education. It attracted over one million visitors in 2007, including pupils from 81 different towns of the state of São Paulo. Activities developed by the Zoo have been sponsored and recognized by several national and international institutions, like the Smithsonian Institution, the World Wide Fund for Nature, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, among others.