would stop selling tickets to Loro Parque over "animal welfare concerns". Awards On 27 September 2000, Loro Parque was awarded the most prestigious prize that the Canary Islands Government gives in the field of tourism, the award "Importante del Turismo 2000" (Important Tourism). Román Rodríguez, president of the Government of the Canaries at the time, handed this prize over to Kiessling. This prize gives Loro Parque the gold medal for its contribution to make the Canary Islands a quality tourist destination. Kiessling was also awarded the "Galardones Amables del Turismo y Convivencia Ciudadana 1999" (Award for Friendly Tourism and Citizen Coexistence) by the Centre of Enterprises and Tourism (CIT) of Santa Cruz, Tenerife, at the same time. Notes References Bruce Thomas Boehrer. Parrot Culture: Our 2,500-Year-Long Fascination with the World's Most Talkative Bird. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004. External links Loro Parque Fundación Tourist attractions in Tenerife Zoos in Spain Bird parks 1972 establishments in Spain Puerto de la Cruz Companies of the Canary Islands Zoos established in 1972