Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The
APROVACA Orchid Nursery
nurtures around five hundred of Panama's twelve hun-
dred orchid species, including the country's rare endemic national flower, the delicate
flor
del espíritu santo
- named for the centre of each bloom, which resembles a white dove. The
centre aims to reintroduce many of these species back into the wild.
El Nispero
1km off Av Central, by the ATM • Daily 7am-5pm (EVACC closed on Tues) • $5 • 983 6142 • To get there,
turn up between the police station and the ATM and follow the rocky unmade road for about 1km
For many, El Valle is synonymous with
golden frogs
and your best chance of glimpsing the
diminutive amphibians is at the local zoo,
El Nispero
, where they form the proud centrepiece
of the impressive new Centro de Conservación de Anfibios de El Valle (EVACC for short).
Sixteen other threatened native species of frog, toad and salamander have also been collected
for study and breeding in captivity, with a view to releasing them back into the wild once the
fungus is no longer a threat. The rest of the zoo - which started life as a plant nursery and
still functions as such - crams 55 species of bird, alongside ocelot, margay, capybara, several
types of monkey and even Manuel Noriega's tapirs, adopted after the US invasion, into inad-
equate cages.
LA RANA DORADA - PANAMA'S THREATENED GOLDEN FROG
Decorating everything from pre-Columbian talismans to tacky T-shirts and lottery tickets,
Panama's
golden frog
(
rana dorada
) is one of the country's most enduring cultural icons,
associated above all with El Valle since the surrounding cloud forest provides its only
known habitat.
In ancient times the Guaymí (or Ngäbe) revered the frog, carving ceramic and golden like-
nesses for jewellery and
huacas
- precious objects buried with chiefs and other prominent
citizens - of this symbol of fertility and prosperity. Indeed legend had it that possessing one
of these “true toads” in life would ensure good fortune in the afterlife as it would transform
into a golden
huaca
. Even today it is believed that a glimpse of this tiny dazzling amphi-
bian in the wild will bring good luck, though a sighting is highly improbable thanks to the
deadly chytrid fungus, which decimated amphibian populations worldwide and wrought
devastation in the area in 2006. The waterborne fungus, which attacks the skin and suffoc-
ates the animal, was thought to have wiped out the wild population - you can see captive
frogs at
El Nispero
. Promisingly, though, there have been recent isolated sightings in the
forest of these emblematic amphibians, which together with some successful breeding in
captivity give hope for their eventual recovery in the wild.
The Butterfly Haven
Left off Av Central, opposite the ATM (1.5 blocks) • 9am-4pm; closed Tues, and all Oct & Nov • $4 •
6062
3131,
