The García Sanabria is the most popular park in Tenerife. Thanks to its imposing flower clock, its main fountain and its different nooks and crannies, it has become an essential place for both islanders and visitors. However, it is likely that only part of the population, those who lived in the 1960s, are aware of a peculiarity that this space had for a time: housed exotic animals.
For those who were not present or do not remember it, a curious video will be of interest, published by Agustín Miranda Armas, in which the different exotic animals that were found in the Garcia Sanabria Park from Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The images were broadcast at the time by the Luce company, which distributed newscasts in Italy similar to the NODO in Spain during the Franco regime.
In the video, which lasts just a few seconds, you can see a mandrill, several gazelles, a squirrel or a parrot. Likewise, although it does not appear in the video, it should be remembered that in the García Sanabria Park there was also a pond with ducks and even a black swan and a peacock. Frogs can now be seen in the pond that remains on the site.
Undoubtedly, these images are part of the history of this very special park for chicharreros, a place that has marked the childhood of many with the appearance on the scene of the popular Gorgoritos during the weekends and the celebration of the May festivities.
