Estación de Cría de Fauna autóctona Cerro Pan de Azúcar

La Estación de cría y fauna autóctona Cerro Pan de Azúcar is a nature park and zoo located close to the coastal city of Piriápolis in the Department of Maldonado, in southeastern Uruguay. The park belongs to the Municipal Administration Department of Maldonado. Some 250 examples of 53 species of Uruguayan animals are housed within an area of 86 hectares, surrounded by native trees and bushes. 300,000 people visit the park annually, many of which are groups of students.

Location

Located in the municipality of Piriápolis, it sits on the hillside of Pan de Azúcar hill, with a peak 1277.9 ft (389.5 meters) above sea level, making it the third tallest hill in the country.

The entrance to the property is located 240 yards (220 meters) from a detour off National Route 37, and only 3.8 miles (6.1 km) from the beaches of Piriápolis. From Piriápolis, the park is accessed, starting from the la rambla de los Argentinos (street or avenue of the Argentines), along la avenida Artigas (Artigas Avenue), which continues onto Route 37. The detour is located 2.5 miles (4.0 kilometers) south of kilometer 86 along the Route. The City of Pan de Azúcar (Sugar bread) is also located there.

History

The Nature Reserve was created in 1980, at the request of the mayor of Maldonado, Curutchet, and Uruguayan Naturalist Tabare Gonzalez Sierra. It was placed in a hillside of Pan de Azúcar, taking advantage of the fact that a century ago the founder of Piriápolis, Francisco Piria, had created an enormous rock quarry to supply the construction of his new city.