Jardin des Plantes Jardin des Plants - New arrivals and other news

I have the feeling that the atmosphere of looking aged and slightly worn down is intentional as the goal seems to preserve as much of the original structure as possible. That that means it looks somewhat ugly is nothing more than a side effect. I absolutely loved it and my partner liked it too, even though she doesn't really like zoos... It does look like it can do with a bit of investment, but I guess as a publicly funded zoo that is somewhat difficult...

You missed out on an excellent career as an estate agent :p “it’s all patina!”

That's hard to read, I hope they bring in other individuals. It's caprid lineup it's my favorite part of JDP :(

There’s also still west-caucasian tur :cool: and with anoa, gaur and takin plenty of hoofstock still.

Rocky mountain goats are holding on by their fingernails in Europe. According to zootierliste, the zoo has (had?) 2 males only anyway. As it was hot, it might have been that one was inside.

Both the bharal and the markhor had youngsters, so it could be that the males were temporarily moved behind the scenes or just inside. But without them in sight, the females and youngsters look quite a lot like “just goats”. Funnily enough, there’s also a small exhibit with domestic goats :cool:
 
Caprids collection remain largely untouched, only urials have left. Their enclosure that is being destroyed is planned for building an outside aviary for orang-outans. This is a massive and expensive project for, what I think, a still very small exhibit for the apes.

The Fauverie is almost empty now but a few years ago there was 4 species of felids (snow, north Chinese and clouded leopards, caracals). We do not know if they want to renew the stock or wait death of older individuals to exhibit new species.

I understand you liked very much the atmosphere that makes us travel in time but IMO, most exhibits are not suitable for their inhabitants. Sure there is a nice collection but there is also still too much space dedicated to less interesting species. In such a small zoo who need to have your biggest enclosure dedicated to vicuna and rhea? Red river hogs when your Visayan warty pigs are stuck in 15 square meters? Martens in a small owl cage with another empty one on the side that they're not able to connect even though that would remain way too small....Bird and herps wise, the collection have also significantly lost those last years. For the latter that is mainly due to the closure of the Palais des reptiles.

Currently, there is 2 big projects, the orang-utan aviary that have just started and the rehabilitation of the reptile house. As we joke on the French forum, it will take years, maybe more than 10 to finish. Being public means pressure on delivering is smaller and few zoos have more employees per square meters. Everything is just very slow.

The Museum is in a very bad shape. It never had enough funds to develop all of its sites, the Grande Gallerie de l'évolution is really the jewel of the crown and the only one in good shape.
Buckets are placed to receive the water dropping from the roof of the Galerie d'Anatomie and Paleontology, la Haute Touche never had any budget and la Ménagerie is as you described. Vincennes was let to rot afterwhat the only decision possible was closure and reopening. The reopening of Vincennes is a total failure from a financial point of view (as it is mainly from exhibitry point of view) and is now a huge ball to the foot of the Museum.
 
-both bharal and markhor had no buck on show (perhaps both were inside all day
At time of my visit in August 23, I recall on the first day the markhor buck could not be found - but there were kids so I figured there must’ve been. The next day the buck showed himself !
I recall also then there was a small reptile house open - nothing greatly big, but a few interesting species
 
Other piece of news from the Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes : the birth of 0.1 Binturong in May 2023.
ABConservation on Instagram: "News from France Last May, the binturongs couple, Suwi and Anjir from the zoo of the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, welcomed a new baby Suwi, the female binturong, gave birth to a baby female Gestation period lasts around 3 months for this species, and the female can give birth to up to 4 cubs. There is no sexual dimorphism at adult stage, i.e. no marked morphological difference between males and females binturongs! You have to wait at least 2 months before you can tell whether the binturong cub is a male or a female. The name choice is still under discussion. Do you have any suggestions for a name? Let us know below Nouvelles de France En mai dernier, le couple de binturongs, Suwi et Anjir de la Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes de Paris, a accueilli un nouveau petit Suwi, la femelle, a donné naissance à une petite femelle La gestation chez les binturongs dure environ 3 mois, et la femelle peut donner naissance jusqu’à 4 petits. Il n’existe aucun dimorphisme sexuel chez les binturongs, c’est-à-dire aucune différence morphologique marquée entre mâle et femelle ! Il faut attendre au moins 2 mois, le temps que l’appareil génital se développe suffisamment, pour déterminer le genre du petit binturong. Le choix du prénom est encore en discussion. Et vous, avez-vous des suggestions de prénom ? Emmanuel Baril #abconservation #binturong #animal #conservation #saveourplanet #binturongcubs#binturongbaby #babyanimals #babyannouncement #animalbirth #nature #association #protect #wildlife #2023 #jardindesplantes #menagerie #ménageriejdp #museumhistoirenaturelleparis"
 
Though with the hundreds (if not thousands) of Guadeloupe anoles in Burgers' Bush it isn't exactly a rarity when looking at the numbers ;)
What about on Guadeloupe Island, Antilles? What about other iguanas (Ctenosaura, Cyclura, Iguana...)? on the Greater Antilles.
 
Though with the hundreds (if not thousands) of Guadeloupe anoles in Burgers' Bush it isn't exactly a rarity when looking at the numbers ;)
But when you are not lucky to live closed to one of the best zoo in Europe it is still a rarity ;)
 
But when you are not lucky to live closed to one of the best zoo in Europe it is still a rarity ;)

Very true, it just remains intriguing to see how rarity is defined by number of (accessible) holders, not the amount of animals present in zoos. Guadeloupan anoles are probably one of the most common lizards in EAZA when purely looking at numbers, despite being only in 4 zoos...
 
Does anyone know if they still house Rocky Mountain Goat? I've just checked ZTL and it says they are now former holding.
 
Not exactly newsworthy, but later this month, I am thrilled to announce that the first of my many trips to facilities across Europe will begin with an outing to one of the oldest zoos in the world!

By now, I have mostly figured out what my priorities are and where to find them on zoo grounds. However, I am open to any additional feedback as I finalize my plans. In the meantime, I have listed below an assortment of questions that are currently on my mind when it comes to this zoo:

(1) Will there be any parts of the zoo that will gain significant crowds as the day goes on?

(2) What is the barrier situation going to be like when it comes to camera photography; should I be aware of certain animals being trickier to photograph due to those barriers?

(3) Will there be any animals that would be off-display due to the cold temperatures? If so, which animals would I unfortunately miss?

(4) Given the lack of an up-to-date species list here on ZooChat, is it necessary to prioritize a documentation of whatever animals I’ll see?

(5) Are there any exhibits or animals that are very easy to miss if you don’t know where to look?

(6) What are the best places in the zoo to stop for a food or drink; and of those places, which one has the best quality food?

(7) Regarding my roster of topmost priorities (see below), does anyone have any tips and/or advice for any of these animals, e.g. best times of day?
  • Houbara Bustard
  • Cuban Hutia
  • Central Chinese Goral
  • Dusky Pademelon
  • Yellow-Throated Marten (which subspecies do they have?)
  • Corsac Fox
  • Vicuña
  • Sichuan Takin
(8) Will there be certain animals that are moved inside at an earlier time, especially if my visit happens to begin later in the day?

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(9) When it comes to the zoo’s layout*, what is the best possible route to effectively maximize a successful visit?

*just in case if the map above is out of date.

(10) In response to potentially embrace France’s winter temperatures, are any of the indoor animal buildings accessible to visitors / open year-round?
 

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I'll try to answer some of these, although bear in mind I haven't visited since 2019.

(2) What is the barrier situation going to be like when it comes to camera photography; should I be aware of certain animals being trickier to photograph due to those barriers?

Some exhibits will be frustrating due to a combination of distance from barrier and style of barrier (e.g. thick iron bars). My standout worst from this point of view is the vultures (8 on the map).

(3) Will there be any animals that would be off-display due to the cold temperatures? If so, which animals would I unfortunately miss?

I don't think that will be an issue.

Given the lack of an up-to-date species list here on ZooChat, is it necessary to prioritize a documentation of whatever animals I’ll see?

We Europeans are used to using Zootierliste for species lists, but if you notice anything off, like a new species or something appears off-show, do mention it here or by editing ZTL.

What are the best places in the zoo to stop for a food or drink; and of those places, which one has the best quality food?

There is only one restaurant within the zoo, marked on the map near Nandou (rhea). From memory it's basically hotdogs and waffles, so don't raise your expectations too high. Plenty of places in the city for that ;)

Regarding my roster of topmost priorities (see below), does anyone have any tips and/or advice for any of these animals, e.g. best times of day?
  • Houbara Bustard
They are active during the day, but I recommend crouching in front of the viewing window for the best view. The birds will eventually coming running from under cover.

Yellow-Throated Marten (which subspecies do they have?)

Like other carnivores, the martens (which are the Siberian subspecies, M. f. aterrima or borealis, depending on which taxonomy you prefer) are typically active in the afternoon.

The ungulates on your list should not be difficult due to the way they are exhibited.

When it comes to the zoo’s layout*, what is the best possible route to effectively maximize a successful visit?

It's a very small zoo and won't take you long to see everything, leaving plenty of time to wander at your own pace. Just make a note to go back to exhibits where the animals aren't active later in the day.

(10) In response to potentially embrace France’s winter temperatures, are any of the indoor animal buildings accessible to visitors / open year-round?

All the buildings marked on the map should be open regardless of weather.
 
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