Loro Parque celebrates 50 years of business success and defense of biodiversity

The 50th anniversary of Loro Parque was celebrated with a great party, a massive gathering in which Canarian society wanted to recognize the work of Wolfgang and Brigitte Kiessling, two visionary entrepreneurs who still work “from morning to night” to keep healthy de hierro, a business group in which the second and third generations of this family also participate, through their son Christoph and their granddaughter Cybell.

The large number of guests at the Loro Parque 50th anniversary event even caused traffic jams at the entrances to the Punta Brava neighborhood. Hundreds of people packed the Thai village and all the way through the interior of the park to Orca Ocean, which was practically filled with more than a thousand attendees. Among the audience, representatives of life politicssocial and business of the islands as the president of the regional government, Angel Victor Torres (PSOE); the president of the Parliament of the Canary Islands, Gustavo Matos (PSOE); the bishop of the Diocese of Nivariense, Bernardo Álvarez, Jorge Marichal (Ashotel), Pedro Luis Cobiella (Hospiten), Roberto Ucelay (CEST), José Carlos Francisco (Economic and Social Council of Canary Islands), Manuel Dominguez (president of the Canarian PP), Isidoro Sánchez (former MEP), Ricardo Melchior (former island president), Ana Oramas (CC deputy), Lola Padrón (former mayor of Puerto) or the mayors of Puerto de la Cruz, Marco González (PSOE), and Los Realejos, Adolfo González (PP), among others.

In Orca Ocean a video could be seen with testimonies from the Anda Canarias animal protection association; some of the most veteran workers of Loro Parque, with up to 40 years of seniority, and congratulations from representatives of associations and entities from all over the planet to the zoo for its 50th birthday, from American Humane to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, going through zoos in Europe, Asia, Africa and America.

Cristina Ramos opened the event with a spectacular performance, which was joined by some orcas in chorus, just before breaking into the central pool of Orca Ocean to once again surprise everyone in and out of the water. The mayor of Porto was the first to intervene and stressed that this event “is already part of the history of the city” and insisted that “Loro Parque would not be understood without Puerto de la Cruz, just as Puerto de la Cruz would not be understood without Loro Parque». And he called this zoo “the work of a visionary.”

Ángel Víctor Torres congratulated «Loro Parque, the Kiessling family, Puerto de la Cruz, the island of Tenerife and to the Canary Islands for these five decades». Michael Frenzel, former Chairman of the Executive Committee of TUI and the Federal Association of the German Tourism Industry, said that “these have been 50 years of love for animals and nature that have also improved a tourist destination like Tenerife.”

Theo Pagel, former president of the Waza World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, stressed that “Loro Parque has contributed to saving 12 species of parrots from extinction with an investment of more than 26 million dollars between 1994 and 2023”, and recalled that “in an increasingly urbanized world, zoos are increasingly important to educate and educate future generations.”

Kiessling thanked Tenerife for allowing him to “find our luck”, and for the support and work of so many collaborators over time. He even allowed himself to joke about his strict reputation by stating that “seen the testimonies of the video, I could not have been such a bad boss.” He acknowledged that both he and his wife have spent “many sleepless nights, without knowing how we were going to do the next day”, and thanked his son and his granddaughter for guaranteeing the future of Loro Parque.

Kiessling especially appreciated the work of the Loro Parque Foundation, which “has collaborated in the breeding of endangered species that now fly free in nature.” And in a video reviewing his career, he said he is convinced that he acts well “with these ambassadors of nature”, referring to the animals in the park, “who do not suffer and are very well maintained.” He also had words of gratitude for his family and for “all the workers who have helped me in this wonderful adventure.”

Chronology

1937

Wolfgang Kiessling was born on September 7, 1937 in the city of Gera, in the Thuringia region of central Germany.

1940

Wolfgang Kiessling’s family moved to live in Nazi-occupied Poland, specifically to the city of Wielun, in the so-called Reichsgau Wartheland.

1944

The father of the Kiessling family is called up and Wolfgang’s mother returns to Eisenberg (Germany) with her children.

1958

Wolfgang Kiessling embarks for New York, in the United States, with the idea of settling in Canada, where he worked selling frozen foods, in real estate, as a bartender’s helper, in uranium mines, as an occasional painter, in nickel mines and copper, or reselling alcoholic beverages.

1959

Kiessling decides to return to the German city of Cologne with his family, although first he makes a long trip across the United States that takes him to cities like Chicago, Detroit, Kansas, Denver, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, San Francisco or Los Angeles. Finally, he crossed into Mexico. From Tampico he returned to Germany on a freighter, which stopped in Cuba.

1961

After working as head of the sales department for Max Factor cosmetic products in Cologne, he became the sales manager of the Bizerba company for the whole of Belgium. In that company he worked until 1964.

1966

Wolfgang Kiessling marries Bella, the mother of his children Isabell and Christoph.

1968

Kiessling had founded his first company: a garage door factory, which had to declare bankruptcy at the end of 1968. At that time he also ended his first marriage. “When we had been living together for a while, we realized that we were too different. In the end, none of them found a way to stay together, “he details in his biography. Do it with parrots, son, they only eat a few grains and they last about a hundred years.

1970

After working in a cement factory as an assistant to the sales manager, Wolfgang Kiessling and Brigitte Sellien get married on November 7, 1970 and settle in a small apartment in Solln. He begins selling investment funds and, later, door-to-door vacation trips. The couple created a travel agency that had 900 self-employed employees, although it soon failed due to the organizational problems generated by the processing of orders and reservations by mail. For eight months he worked to promote an airline called Calair. This gave him the opportunity to fly several times to the Canary Islands, so they both decided to start over, now in the Archipelago.

1971

Wolfgang and Brigitte Kiessling set their sights on Puerto de la Cruz, in Tenerife, where the first idea is to create a safari park where tourists could see lions and tigers. When he discussed the idea with his father Friedrich Ernest Kiessling, he gave him the advice that marked his life: “Do you have any idea what a lion eats every day? Do it with parrots, son, they only need a few seeds and they last like a hundred years! His father also reminded him of the visit they had made in the United States to the Parrot Jungle parrot park in Miami. Brigitte and Wolfgang immediately traveled to Miami and the idea for Loro Parque was born there. They even hired a parrot trainer who accompanied them on their return to Germany, Gray Fletcher. In their home in Wiesbaden they began to train parrots and cockatoos. They also began the frustrating efforts to acquire the necessary land in Puerto de la Cruz. They had in mind to buy between 15 and 20 hectares, but they were forced to abandon that idea due to the high price of land. This was the beginning of a success story that Michael Miersch wrote about in December 2011 in Focus magazine: “If you want to get rich, you shouldn’t move abroad without speaking the local language. It’s also not a good idea to put money into an industry you know nothing about. Surely one of the worst investments in the world is to open a zoo on an island. Wolfgang Kiessling made each and every one of those mistakes.”

1972

After many difficulties, Kiessling manages to sign a lease for a 13,000 square meter piece of land in Puerto de la Cruz. The Loro Parque company was officially established in Tenerife on July 1, 1972 and they considered that in six months they should start up and open the park, specifically on December 17. With the financial help of his father and his friend Helmut Schröder, the Kiesslings worked hard and with their own hands to create the paths, aviaries and gardens of Loro Parque. In a rented van, Kiessling brought every tree and plant he bought from private backyards or picked in the fields. In full preparations, coach Gray Fletcher suddenly returns to the US due to problems with his wife, and was replaced until the opening by Philip Spolin. To solve bureaucratic obstacles, it was necessary to convert the house on the land into the Loro Parque Hotel, linked to the parrot park. The inauguration, with 150 parrots and 25 workers, was on December 17, 1972. Neither the mayor nor any representative of the local banks attended. The next day, 82 people entered the park in the first hour of opening. Shortly after, a great storm hit the island on December 18, 19 and 20. Loro Parque suffers numerous damages. “That was the first and only time I feared it was the end,” Kiessling admits.

1977

Kiessling manages to settle all the debts contracted for the opening of Loro Parque.

1978

The Galapagos tortoises and the first alligators arrive. The park extends to 35,000 meters.

1982

The Loro Vision cinema is created and the park grows to 60,000 square meters. It also houses chimpanzees seized by local authorities.

1983

The first parrot breeding center with 100 aviaries is launched in the Loro Parque reserve.

1987

Loro Parque inaugurates the largest dolphinarium in Europe.

1992

The Thai village, the largest outside of Thailand, is inaugurated, and the park grows to 135,000 square meters with the gorilla enclosure, the aquarium, the sea lions, the La Choza de los Duques restaurant and the porcelain parrot museum.

1993

The yellow train for the free transport of visitors to Loro Parque begins to operate.

1994

The Loro Parque Fundación is established, which has invested more than 26 million dollars worldwide.

nineteen ninety five

Kiessling acquires and renovates the emblematic Hotel Botánico, in Puerto de la Cruz.

1997

Planet Penguin opens, the Arab palace for parrot shows and the jaguar crater.

1999

The largest methacrylate cylinder in the world is installed to house up to 7,000 fish, and the home of the Humboldt penguins is created.

2002

Loro Parque turns 30, the white Bengal tigers arrive and the first stone of Siam Park is laid, in the municipality of Adeje.

2003

With 1,375 new births of numerous animal species, Loro Parque breaks its breeding record.

2006

Four orcas arrive from Seaworld (USA) and Orca Ocean is inaugurated.

2008

The Siam Park water park in the south of the island of Tenerife opens to the public.

2014

They start up the underground car park, Animal Embassy and Aqua Viva. The foundation celebrates 20 years.

2017

The lions from Angola arrive, the Poema del Mar aquarium is inaugurated on the island of Gran Canaria and Loro Parque becomes the best zoo in the world according to TripAdvisor. A recognition that they repeat in 2018.