On May 20 World Bee Day, Oasys MiniHollywood wanted to pay tribute to the most important pollinators on the planet, which are in danger of extinction, by planting several plant specimens in the area of the insect hotel, including chamomile , rosemary, lavender, thyme and mint.
Due to human action, bees are in serious danger of extinction, and the work they do is being compromised, something that is essential for the survival of ecosystems.
The abilities of bees as pollinators are unparalleled, as 75% of the world’s crops depend on pollination. The use of agricultural systems by man, such as intensive agriculture, the use of pesticides and climate change are bringing them to the brink of extinction.
For this reason, at Oasys MiniHollywood we have called on everyone to plant plants in our gardens that can help these insects, such as lavender, sunflowers, blueberries, mint, chamomile, rosemary, thyme and mint.
Let’s put our grain of sand for the Conservation and Protection of bees.
A new member of Somali Wild Ass (Equus africanus somalicus) gallops through the savannah in semi-freedom with his mother at Oasys MiniHollywood.
This species in critical danger of extinction, has less than 200 specimens in the wild distributed in small areas of Eritrea and Ethiopia, so with the birth of this precious baby, it is contributed through the European Captive Breeding Program (EEP) so that this endangered species does not disappear.
Well adapted to arid climates, females give birth to a single baby after 12-13 months of gestation, being able to live with little food and even going days without drinking, with standing up to a loss of water of 30% of their body weight.
They dissipate heat thanks to their large ears, which also help them capture sounds from possible predators, from which they do not always flee, but sometimes manage to repel them by kicking and biting.
The males are very territorial and have a group of females that they protect and guard, while the less fortunate males live in groups of bachelors.
Help us find a name for our new Somali Wild Ass baby and come visit him at Oasys MiniHollywood.
On November 6 and 7, the IV International Historical Reenactment, Old West History, took place in the town of Oasys MiniHollywood. This event, unique in Spain, had a large number of national and international attendees and reenactors, who revived the American history of the 19th century.
During two days, it was possible to enjoy numerous activities related to the Far West, as well as re-enactments of events and historical episodes as famous as the duel of the O.K. Corral, the signing of the Fort Laramie treaty in 1868, the death of the iconic Wild Bill Hickok, or the assassination of Lincoln among others.
This year and maintaining COVID measures at all times, more than 220 historical reenactors from Spain, France, Germany, Italy or Argentina, participated in the performances. Among them, Codex Belix, Imperial Service, La Cruz de Victoria, 1707 Almansa historia, Marlene dietrich, Mountain Horse Ranch, Battle honorus, U.E.O, Lakota american West, Far West frontier, Glenteman Warfare, Casa Ambrosio- Apaches, Museo Histórico Militar de Granadaor L’Epoque des Cavalcades.
During the two days and throughout the Oasys MiniHollywood film set, numerous reenactors’ stalls allowed us to relive the experiences of the Wild West walking among mythical characters such as Wyatt Earp, Buffalo Bill, Calamity Jane or Crazy Horse, among many others, with the participation of real actors.
In addition, one of the favorite activities among the youngest attendees was the exhibition of Playmobil dioramas -in charge of the Jorge Olaya family- and that of Madelman, both installed in the railroad train, as well as the demonstration of “dressage, lasso and ride in the western, cowboy life”.
Throughout the weekend at the Arizona buffet restaurant you could enjoy typical American dishes such as Mexican chili, pork ribs and other barbecue menus.
On Sunday at 18:30 p.m., after the last activities, the Historical Recreation was closed by its organizers, Leonardo Jiménez, Manuel Olaya and José María Rodríguez, who handed out the certificates of participation to each one. of the reenactors who made this magnificent event possible.
The fourth edition of this unique event in Spain has established itself as the most important event of the western genre in our country, with more than 1,500 visitors. We hope that the next edition will also be a complete success which will allow us to continue sponsoring leisure and history in the province of Almería.
On October 31 and until November 1, Oasys MiniHollywood prepared the terrifying and fun Halloween party. The special decoration this year was distributed from the West Town, where visitors could take a photo with our Skeleton Cowboy, to the new Grill Restaurant of the Okavango where pumpkin figures and a great ghost welcomed.
A special dance program was prepared at the Yellow Rose Saloon, where our dancers, characterized as spectral souls, and our master of ceremonies, made all attendees tremble with fear. The Saloon was filled with cobwebs, bats, coffins and the undead, complying with the COVID-19 protocol at all times, they instilled fear and laughter in equal parts.
At the Arizona Restaurant buffet a wide variety of Halloween-themed dishes were prepared, such as cheese bats, Hell’s salad, casket sandwiches, mummy meatloaf, witch-hair spaghetti, giant’s Frankfurt fingers, the ghost meringues, and a great variety of other dishes, which were the delight of the little ones and also the oldest.
Oasys MiniHollywood completely set on Halloween and full of visitors dressed up for the occasion, offered its funniest and most surprising side.
On November 6 and 7, the 4th Edition of the International Historical Recreation Old West History will be held, organized by Oasys MiniHollywood, Lamento Films by Manuel Olaya and the Armería Leonardo.
This year, as in previous editions, Historical Recreation activities of some battles that occurred during the 19th century will be carried out, such as the death of Wild Bill Hickock by the LAKOTA AMERICAN WEST Historical Recreation Association, Historical Reconstruction of the duel of Ok Corral, Historical reconstruction of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, as well as a multitude of activities and camps of different themes, through which the visitor will be able to know what life was like in the Far West.
Both the Confederate and the Union sides, as well as the mining camp and even the Indian Village, will come to life with more than 150 Reenactors from all over Europe, spread throughout the western city of Oasys MiniHollywood.
In addition, throughout the day, there will be exhibitions and conferences such as the Playmobil and Madelman dioramas, or the Lectures on ¨Buffalo Bill the conquest of the east ¨ or the lecture on the battle of Little Big Horn, given by the historian Raúl Matarranz.
Also, at the Arizona Restaurant there will be culinary sessions inspired on the American dishes from the Wild West Era.
A unique opportunity to discover the history of the Wild West in a live museum in a fun and different way.
On October 8, the opening of the 11th Edition of the Almería Western Film Festival was held at the Saloon Yellow Rose of Oasys MiniHollywood in which one more year Senator Hotels and Resorts has been one of the largest sponsors of said event, betting on the culture and local development.
At the Festival, the ‘Leone in Memoriam’ award was awarded to Ennio Morricone, collected by his biographer Alessandro de Rosa, and the Tabernas Desert Award to the writer Sir Christopher Frayling (1946), a pioneer in the dissemination of the Tabernas Desert as a cinematographic setting.
With all the security and prevention measures, numerous events have been carried out, such as the official section of feature films, short films, presentation of literary works, the “probably” largest exhibition of Western Playmóbil in Spain, theater and music from the OCAL accompanying the symbolic act of the burial of the ¨Leone in Memoriam¨ Award to Ennio Morricone so that part of his spirit may rest in the cemetery of the MiniHollywood film set, where all the attendees who so wished could participate in the act.
Franco Nero, special guest at Oasys MiniHollywood, recalled all the films shot in the province of Almería surrounded by the specialists of our park in an emblematic afternoon in which he recalled his most risky actions in ¨Goodbye, Texas¨, ¨Los Locos del Oro Negro «,» Salary to kill «or» The companions «. Therefore, the actor received the Tabernas de Cine Award and assured that he hopes to be able to shoot a Western again in the province of Almería. During his stay at Oasys MiniHollywood, the interview for the TVE Film Days Program was filmed:
At the closing gala of the Festival, the Canarian director, winner of four Goya awards, Mateo Gil, was awarded for his film ¨Blackthorn¨, which was included in the Retrospective Section of the festival.
Oasys MiniHollywood, together with the Tabernas City Council and other collaborators, are already working to prepare the next Festival Edition.
The opening session of the 11th Edition of the Almería Western Film Festival will take place at the Oasys MiniHollywood, on the 8th of October at the Yellow Rose Saloon.
With all the security and prevention measures, different events will take place such as the presentation of literary works, exhibition halls, theater, shows, and the awards ceremony to Christopher Frayling and the In Memoriam award to Ennio Morricone.
Therefore, the chameleonic actor Franco Nero, who has participated throughout his career in more than 200 films and has coincided with directors such as Luis Buñuel or Quentin Tarantino; will return to Tabernas to receive one of the most important awards at the Festival: the “Tabernas de Cine” award.
It is important to mention, among his numerous films , some of them developed at the Almería Film Sets; such as «Goodbye, Texas», «Salario para Matar», «Man, Pride and Revenge» and «Los locos del Oro Negro» among others.
The festival will be held until Monday October 11, with more than twenty activities, where it also stands out the musical performances of the OCAL Cuarteto de cuerda and the Cinematographic Screening of several feature films and short films as for example the film «The Companions», in honor of Nero’s professional career.
Besides all this, we can’t forget the little ones, who will find enough arguments in the Oasys MiniHollywood Park to have an unforgettable day.
A few months ago, the Unit of the National Police Corps Attached to the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, together with SOIVRE, rescued next to the garbage containers in Almería, a specimen of reticulated python (Malayopython reticulatus) of almost four meters length, which was deposited at the Oasys MiniHollywood Park facilities for their care and custody.
After a few weeks in which the animal was recovering from some of the problems it had at the time of its rescue, such as the difficulty of shedding of skin, inadequate feeding and malnutrition, the Department of Conservation of the Zoological Reserve began to look for a suitable facility and enabled for the needs of this species that could house it, since one of the characteristics of these animals is the little or no ability to coexist with other species, so due to its large size it could not stay too long in our facilities.
Thanks to the Iberian Association of Zoo and Aquariums (AIZA) of which the Oasys Park is a part and after consulting with all the members of said Association, finally the Lagos Zoo was willing to host said animal and even to design and build a suitable habitat for it.
This zoo that is located in the South of Portugal, carried out the necessary works to be able to receive it and once the appropriate permits had been processed from the administrations of both countries, members of the Oasys Park undertook the transfer of said animal to their new Zoo.
Thanks to the close collaboration between the National Police Force, the Soivre of Almería, the Lagos Zoo and Oasys MiniHollywood, this impressive specimen now enjoys a good quality of life.
For the fourth consecutive year, Oasys MiniHollywood has once again collaborated in the Lechuza Project, together with the CECOUAL of the University of Almería, the Society for the Study and Recovery of Almeria Biodiversity (SERBAL), the Group for the Rehabilitation of Autochthonous Fauna and its Habitat (GREFA) and the Rodalquilar Botanical Garden.
The common owl (Tyto alba) is included in the List of Wild Species in the Special Protection Regime at the national level, since its populations have been affected by the degradation of its habitat and the disappearance of sustainable agriculture, progressively increasing the area of development of industrial agriculture and use of chemical products that in turn cause the disappearance of the natural prey of these birds.
The common owl was a common bird in the province of Almería and in recent years it has suffered a significant decline in its populations, disappearing in some municipalities.
For this reason, from Oasys MiniHollywood together with CECOUAL and SERBAL, this Project of Reintroduction of the Common Owl has been carried out for several years by means of the hacking technique (nest boxes), monitoring by cameras both inside and outside of these, the development of the chicks, their flight practices, feeding, and finally flying further and further away from the nest to look for food, until once established in their new territory, they will stop coming back to colonize new areas and reinforce the indigenous population.
In this way, Oasys MiniHollywood collaborates with the Lechuza Project to reinforce the population of this species in the province of Almería.
The director Manuel Olaya continues his journey after the legendary success of the film ¨Arizona¨, being selected in more than 92 official competitions around the world; and is preparing his new film production INFORTUNIO, which he will record entirely at the Oasys MiniHollywood sets.
This new story will narrate the lives of three characters, counting on three big actors: Álex Navarro, José Varela and Pedro López.
The first recording sessions have begun to take place already, and the filming is expected to finish in mid-September 2021.
“Infortunio” will be a western drama in which the Manchego director Manuel Olaya will try to achieve even more success than with the previous ones.
Oasys MiniHollywood is always supporting the promotion of National projects and increasing the legend of the city of Almería and the cinema.
