The site of the former Peña Escrita zoo in Almuñécar on Granada province's Costa Tropical, which has been closed for a decade, has had ... interest from a spiritual tourism company, according to the town's councillor for rural affairs, Luis Aragón.
He has told IDEAL that there is only one company interested in running the facilities, although not as a zoo and the council has asked it to submit a business plan so that it can be assessed to determine whether it is viable.
The Peña Escrita Zoo was founded in 1997 and at one point was home to more than 150 exotic animals including tigers, macaques, ostriches and wolves. After years of problems, in 2015 the Andalusian regional government forced it to close to the public, as the site was operating illegally and did not have the necessary permits to keep certain animals. Since then, the wooden huts and rusty cages are all that remain of the zoo.
There has been talk of two proposals on the table to breathe new life into the site: one from a company linked to sports tourism, with an activities centre set in the heart of the countryside and another from a spiritual tourism company. The situation, as the councillor now explains, "has changed’" and the spiritual company is the only one still interested in running the site.
Contract
The company's idea is to develop a space in the area dedicated to retreats, yoga, meditation and relaxing. As the councillor explains, the proposal also includes enhancing the natural character of the site with a garden for guests alongside sustainable management and the protection of the area’s biodiversity.
The model being considered by the town hall would be that of an administrative contract whereby the company would set up on the site, carry out its business there and pay the council, but the facilities would remain the property of the town hall. The contract would be signed for a number of years to be determined, whichever the company deems necessary to recoup the investment it has to make.
The former zoo remains closed to the public although the town hall opens it on an ad hoc basis to groups who request it, provided they are accompanied by council staff. This applies to the cycle route that takes place every summer, on the first Sunday in August and to the walking groups that have asked to use the facilities.