The hippo enclosure is netted over and stocked with birds including Pink-backed Pelicans, Abdim's, Yellow-billed and African Openbill Storks, Grey-necked Crowned Cranes, Hammerkop, White-headed and Palmnut Vultures, African Spoonbills, Sacred, Hadada and Southern Bald Ibis, White-headed Duck, Cape Teal, Blue-winged Goose and more. There are also separate paddocks for Lowland Nyala and Red River Hog, as well as a Malawi cichlid tank and a carp-stocked pool for the hippos.
Thanks very much for all of the photos showcasing the hippo exhibit at Beauval. It certainly appears to be an outstanding exhibit and it makes a mockery of the tiny hippo pools that are still found at several major zoos. The rate of progress at Beauval is extraordinary and the facility seems hell-bent on becoming one of the truly great zoos of the world.
Holy cow! I'm not normally a fan of these large mammal aviaries, but this looks incredible. Is there any grazing for the hippos? Possibly the nyala paddock at night?
@Giant Panda The land currently available to the hippos (behind the raised, planted area shown here) was pretty heaving grazed, but there is indeed a gate that would allow the hippos access to the nyala paddock - not sure how frequently it's used.
@DavidBrown, having visited most of the better zoos in France, I reckon Beauval is the best in France by quite a margin. The competitors cited by those who think otherwise are Amneville, La Palmyre and Doue generally, or Parc des Felins if your name is Arizona Docent . Amneville is not a member of the EAZA due to a number of contentious decisions it has made including opening a circus-style tiger show. Otherwise, it has a good, well-rounded collection in decent ranging to great exhibits with good theming. La Palmyre is good, but really nothing special. It doesn't really have anything to distinguish it from other good zoos - a decent collection in decent exhibits essentially. Doue is an entirely different can of worms. It has some exhibits that everyone agrees are superb. An immense South American aviary and a few really nice forest exhibits such as the Okapi aviary and the leopard enclosures. However, their other exhibits are a matter of great debate on the Doue forum. Aside from the fact that the zoo is on two levels, there are lots of strange exhibits. First, we have the Black rhinoceros exhibit, which is adorned with massive rock formations but not in fact very large. They share their exhibit with Dama/Addra gazelles. Some think it is a really nice exhibit due to the viewing opportunities and the rock formations which are realistically-made, but others regard it as way too small, especially with the 11 (I think gazelles) that share it with the rhinos. Another contentious exhibit is the Himalayan area. It is part of the zoo that is distinctly viewable from both levels and the exhibits essentially look like a Minecraft quarry. They have good climbing and jumping opportunities, but the rocks are carved into perfect hexagonal cuboids:
(Snow leopard next to the rock pile on the left for size comparison)
There is also a vulture amphitheatre with metal sculptures of dead markhors and the same strange rockwork:
And finally the strangest lion and cheetah exhibits you will ever see. The Carnivore Crater is essentially around 6 hemispheres of rock covered with grass and stones with viewing around them:
So in conclusion, Doue is in some people's opinions the best in France, but others think it is downright strange. I'm a bit in the middle. The zoo is really hard to describe and you might want to have a look at its media page to understand the zoo as such. Other strange exhibits which I think are really good are the Leopard canyon and the Dwarf Mongoose house.
I reckon, having been to both, that Beauval is by some margin the better zoo and therefore the best in France, yet that Doue is still a very enjoyable and surprising visit.
@DavidBrown There's a fair few I haven't been to (including Amneville) and others that I haven't visited in many years (Vincennes, JdP, Mulhouse) - but of the ones I've been to I think yes, it's the obvious candidate for the best. It has that 'glow' of a place that is doing things generally well and everyone knows it. Doue and Haute-Touche are both very good and much weirder, though, so I have a soft spot for them!
