Map of Bioparco Rome 15/10/09

The Rettilario (Reptiliary) is semi-separate - you can buy a ticket just for this, just for the zoo, or for both. The are that the Rettilario ticket allows you access to includes just the house itself (which includes a few birds as well as herps) and, oddly, an African Wild Dog exhibit.

@Maguari: looking at the historical pictures in the gallery it looks like the Rome Zoo's gorilla exhibit was quite outdated. Do they still have the gorillas? I don't see them on this map.

What was your overall impression of this zoo? It looks like there are some old, but maybe functional exhibits like the elephants. I know that they had some ambitious plans at one time to build many new ecologically themed exhibits; is there any evidence that this is happening?

I'm going to answer the overall impression question snowleopard-style by quoting myself!

(from the 'Italian zoos' thread)

Maguari said:

I've visited Rome Zoo (Bioparco) twice...

It's not going to be troubling the very best zoos in Europe any time soon but it's perfectly pleasant for the most part and (crucially) was markedly improved in 2009 compared to 2003.

The chimp, wolf and bear enclosures are good, as are the reptile house and the BiodiversItalia building. The lion enclosure is pleasant but not especially large (although due to its shape it's hard to judge). Most of the rest would fall under 'standard/adequate but unremarkable' - the one exception that sticks in my mind was the small, all-indoor orang enclosure (but I believe wheels are in motion to build a new home for these).

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As for gorillas, these are no longer kept - the only great apes are chimps and orangs. The last gorilla left in 2001 according to Zootierliste, so before either of my visits.

The newer exhibits are more naturalistic, but only the BiodiversItalia building really has a developed 'theme' beyond the animals it holds.

The only gorilla born at the Bioparco was Romina, who now lives at Bristol zoo. She was born in 1980, according to the bioparco guideboks i have from my two visits in 1995 and 2006. The bioparco was radically changed in that decade and for the better. The horrible ape house was closed. A fine chimpanzee exhibit was made, though 3 orangs still live in a substandard indoor enclousure. The gorillas were sent to the UK it seems, though Romina´s parents Chica and Bongo may have passed away.

@Maguari: it is always useful having mini-reviews at hand so that you can quote yourself!

It seems as if Bioparco Di Roma is still not a premier zoo, although much improved over the last decade. I was in Rome in 2003 but declined to visit the establishment mainly because I had heard that it was awful, and even though it made the cut for the book "What Zoos Can Do" the author Anthony Sheridan did not rank Rome very high on his list and he only listed 7 star attractions at the facility.

Parco Natura Viva (in Bussolengo, Verona) appears to have become Italy's one truly excellent zoo, and when the safari park section becomes incorporated into the walking zone in 2013 then this zoo should be one of decent quality. The nation of Italy has so many iconic historical structures for tourists that it seems as if zoos have been neglected in the country.

I just noticed that the huge ideo locator completely obscures the wolf and zebra exhibits.

How are the elephant enclosures?

tigris115 said:

How are the elephant enclosures?

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Unless the elephant enclosure has changed since 2009, rather underwhelming: