The Madrid park marks a quarter of a century with immersive ecosystems, educational programmes and conservation projects. Among its milestones are the birth of Spain’s first manatee and an ongoing project to reintroduce the European pond turtle into the wild.
Since opening in 2001, Faunia has welcomed more than 10 million visitors and over 1.5 million students, introducing generations of families to animals, ecosystems and biodiversity.
Over the past 25 years, the park has built its identity around the recreation of natural habitats, educational activities and conservation programmes, while also becoming a landmark for Madrid’s Vicálvaro district. School visits, workshops, summer camps and educational programmes have inspired thousands of children and young people to discover the natural sciences and the importance of environmental protection.
Among the park’s earliest milestones was the opening of the Polar Ecosystem in 2002, which remains one of Faunia’s most iconic areas. In 2006, the park welcomed 15 chinstrap penguins rescued following Hurricane Katrina. Today, some of those birds are among the oldest individuals of their species living in European zoological institutions.
In 2009, Faunia celebrated the birth of Spain’s first manatee, while in 2011 it opened Veneno, an educational space dedicated to reptiles, amphibians and other venomous species that has since become a national reference for herpetology.
In the following years, the park achieved several important breeding successes, including the birth of its first king penguin chick in 2022. More recently, Faunia launched a conservation programme for the European pond turtle, a threatened native species. The hatchlings produced through the programme are intended for future reintroduction into the Sierra of the Community of Madrid.
Faunia currently participates in more than 40 European Endangered Species Programmes (EEPs) and collaborates on national and international conservation projects. In 2018, the park welcomed Queen Emeritus Sofía for the inauguration of “The Return of the Mediterranean Monk Seal”, a conservation initiative dedicated to one of the Mediterranean’s most endangered species.
Alongside conservation, Faunia has also developed a number of charitable initiatives over the years. One of the best known is Penguin Madrid, the 2012 project that placed 20 giant penguin sculptures across the city, created by artists and public figures to support various charitable causes. More recently, the park participated in the 2026 Guardia Civil charity calendar in support of Autismo España.
According to Faunia’s General Director Jesús Corrales, “estos 25 años representan mucho más que una fecha. Son 10 millones de visitantes, cientos de miles de experiencias compartidas y generaciones de madrileños que han descubierto la naturaleza a través de nuestras instalaciones y actividades educativas. Nuestro mayor orgullo es haber contribuido a despertar el interés por los animales y la conservación en tantas personas”.
Biology Director Agustín López Goya added that “Faunia fue concebido como una innovadora combinación de zoológico, jardín botánico y museo de ciencias naturales que introdujo en España un nuevo concepto educativo basado en la recreación de ecosistemas y en la conexión emocional entre las personas y la naturaleza. Durante estos veinticinco años, el parque se ha consolidado como un referente en conservación, educación ambiental e investigación, acercando a millones de visitantes la importancia de proteger la biodiversidad del planeta.”
To mark its anniversary, Faunia has also expanded its educational offering with new experiences. Among them is “Guardians of the Ocean: Sea Lion Mission”, an activity designed to raise awareness about the protection of marine ecosystems and the importance of everyday actions in safeguarding seas and oceans.
The programme takes place in the renovated Pinnipedium Faunia, home to Steller sea lions, South American fur seals and California sea lions. Through educational presentations and observation activities, visitors can learn more about these marine mammals and the major threats facing the world’s oceans and their biodiversity.
Twenty-five years after opening its doors, Faunia continues to invest in environmental education, research and conservation, staying true to the mission on which it was founded: bringing people closer to nature and showing that protecting biodiversity is a shared responsibility.
