Event: Portugal - Lisbon

Lisbon Zoo

When:	Daily
Where:	Lisbon Zoo
Costs:	€12.50; concessions €10.50; 3-11 yrs €9.50; under 3s free
Opening Hours:	10am-8pm (until 6pm in winter)

Lisbon Zoo houses approximately 2000 animals and attracts nearly a million visitors each year. It's very much a zoo that's in development, continually improving its facilities and adding to the range of species on display.

The Jardim Zoológico e de Aclimação em Portugal was first envisaged in 1882 by Drs Pedro van der Laan and José Thomaz Sousa Martins, at a time when there were no parks in the Iberian Peninsular displaying exotic flora or fauna. Since it opened in 1884 the zoo has experienced its share of financial problems and has moved location several times, but it has managed to survive and was modernised in the 1990s, improving the numbers and living space of the animals and making it rank alongside the best zoos in Europe and around the world.

The zoo's collection of animals includes reptiles (alligators, crocodiles, Komodo dragons and lots of slithering snakes), birds (hornbills, toucans, turacoes, macaws, pheasants, pigeons and birds of prey, among others), giraffes, chimpanzees, hippos, tigers, polar bears, both Asian and African elephants, as well as many less familiar creatures. There are also regular shows featuring dolphins and sea lions, as well as macaw shows (including parrots and cockatoos), and reptile shows with turtles, iguanas and snakes.

The zoo is actively involved in the conservation of hundreds of species of animal as well as education projects for schoolchildren. It aims to have one of the best collections of animals in the world, bringing in new species, creating breeding programmes for the existing ones and, as well as being educational, offering an entertaining day out.