Fair enough - the individual who posted on the ZTL noticeboard to report that edit and claim to have identified the species is presumably the troll responsible for the wholesale inaccuracies then!
Into the unknown: zoos of western France
- Thread starter lintworm
- Start date
Fair enough - the individual who posted on the ZTL noticeboard to report that edit and claim to have identified the species is presumably the troll responsible for the wholesale inaccuracies then!
This is the case across Europe, the left lane is for overtaking. You are not allowed to hinder other cars and if you drive too slow on the left lane this is potentially dangerous as other cars will be driving there with much higher speed. In Germany this is especially the case, where there is not speed limit on many stretches.... In fact when reading on driving in the US, it specifically said that Americans tend to drive on the left needlessyand as a European you should get used to that
Except in the UK, Ireland and Malta where the rule is the complete opposite of course.
Yeah, that's a strange one as it is one of those laws that only French people only really feel indignant about when it should have been their turn to go
. Almost everyone in France knows about it but not that many actually stick with it rigourously. France have a few of these laws that aren't really adhered to much, but normally following it won't get you into any trouble so I would recommend going on the side of caution.Anyway, back to the thread subject! @lintworm did you get all the way to Brest?
Also, did you notice any difference in dialects and accents when travelling through France? I always notice them less than English ones but particularly strong French accents can nevertheless be extremely difficult to understand, especially when you've spent most of your time in Paris.
That one is a bit strange indeed, we have the same in the Netherlands, but it seems clearer when the rule is applied. In France it is somewhat random, especially on the countryside...
My French is not good enough to pick up on slightly different accents, but my conversation was generally limited, so there was no problem in understanding. Interestingly I had multiple French people switch automatically to English when they heard I was not a native speaker, this had never happened to me before in France, where people generally just continued and hoped you would understand...
But back to another review:
Parc de Cleres
This is the former home of Jean Delacour, the French naturalist who was especially interested in pheasants. He transformed the English garden surrounding his chateau into a little human-made paradise. In a way this splendid park shows what Pairi Daiza could have become if it had followed the uncommercial way. The collection basically consists of two parts: there is the English Garden and there is a small aviary complex above the chateau. The garden features a large selection of free-ranging animals, with Blackbuck (40+), Red-necked Wallaby (probably 100+), Chinese Water Deer (unseen) being the free-ranging mammals. A large number of waterfowl, flamingo, several crane species, Crested Screamers, Sacred Ibis, Indian Peacocks and interestingly a Himalayan Monal complete the line-up. There are two islands on the main lake holding Ring-tailed Lemur and Golden-cheeked Gibbon as well as several separate enclosures holding even more ducks and geese from around the world. The view of Caribbean Flamingo and Demoiselle Crane walking on the lawn in front of the chateau is unique and was one of the highlights of my trip. I am however no big fan of pinioned ibises, pheasants or Helmeted Curassows, and I am curious to see how they will be managed in the future.
Free-ranging blackbuck
Free-ranging Red-necked Wallaby
Part of the main lake with a huge Chilean Flamingo breeding colony
One of the waterfowl enclosures
Ring-tailed Lemur island
The aviary complex consists of roughly 35 aviaries and is home to a selection of wildfowl species, but other groups like turacos, ibises and doves are also well-represented. With Great Grey Owl, only one bird of prey species is kept. Most aviaries are very well planted and of an appropriate size, but there are some tiny ones remaining. The collection is very interesting with Blue-headed Turtle Doves, Pacific Emerald Doves (only holding on ZTL) and Blue-Grey Tanager among the highlights. Several primate species (including Aloatra Bamboo Lemurs) and Red Panda are also kept here. Two large cages next to the chateau hold White-cheeked Gibbons and Blue&Yellow Macaws.
Aviary complex
African aviary
European Bee-eater aviary
European wading bird aviary
White-cheeked Gibbon aviary
Pacific Emerald Dove
Overall this is a lovely park to spend a few hours, the collection is very strong on birds, but has some interesting primates as well. There are a large number of reclining chairs in front of the chateau that invite you to lounge with a view on one of the bird-filled lawns. Planting is immaculate throughout the park as well. This was a very refreshing visit for me, as it showed animals in a completely different environment than other zoos do. While I do have some reservations on pinioned birds, it was a fantastic sight to see so many free-ranging species from around the world going about their business in a peaceful way.
That one is a bit strange indeed, we have the same in the Netherlands, but it seems clearer when the rule is applied. In France it is somewhat random, especially on the countryside...
My French is not good enough to pick up on slightly different accents, but my conversation was generally limited, so there was no problem in understanding. Interestingly I had multiple French people switch automatically to English when they heard I was not a native speaker, this had never happened to me before in France, where people generally just continued and hoped you would understand...
But back to another review:
Parc de Cleres
This is the former home of Jean Delacour, the French naturalist who was especially interested in pheasants. He transformed the English garden surrounding his chateau into a little human-made paradise. In a way this splendid park shows what Pairi Daiza could have become if it had followed the uncommercial way. The collection basically consists of two parts: there is the English Garden and there is a small aviary complex above the chateau. The garden features a large selection of free-ranging animals, with Blackbuck (40+), Red-necked Wallaby (probably 100+), Chinese Water Deer (unseen) being the free-ranging mammals. A large number of waterfowl, flamingo, several crane species, Crested Screamers, Sacred Ibis, Indian Peacocks and interestingly a Himalayan Monal complete the line-up. There are two islands on the main lake holding Ring-tailed Lemur and Golden-cheeked Gibbon as well as several separate enclosures holding even more ducks and geese from around the world. The view of Caribbean Flamingo and Demoiselle Crane walking on the lawn in front of the chateau is unique and was one of the highlights of my trip. I am however no big fan of pinioned ibises, pheasants or Helmeted Curassows, and I am curious to see how they will be managed in the future.
Free-ranging blackbuck
Free-ranging Red-necked Wallaby
Part of the main lake with a huge Chilean Flamingo breeding colony
One of the waterfowl enclosures
Ring-tailed Lemur island
The aviary complex consists of roughly 35 aviaries and is home to a selection of wildfowl species, but other groups like turacos, ibises and doves are also well-represented. With Great Grey Owl, only one bird of prey species is kept. Most aviaries are very well planted and of an appropriate size, but there are some tiny ones remaining. The collection is very interesting with Blue-headed Turtle Doves, Pacific Emerald Doves (only holding on ZTL) and Blue-Grey Tanager among the highlights. Several primate species (including Aloatra Bamboo Lemurs) and Red Panda are also kept here. Two large cages next to the chateau hold White-cheeked Gibbons and Blue&Yellow Macaws.
Aviary complex
African aviary
European Bee-eater aviary
European wading bird aviary
White-cheeked Gibbon aviary
Pacific Emerald Dove
Overall this is a lovely park to spend a few hours, the collection is very strong on birds, but has some interesting primates as well. There are a large number of reclining chairs in front of the chateau that invite you to lounge with a view on one of the bird-filled lawns. Planting is immaculate throughout the park as well. This was a very refreshing visit for me, as it showed animals in a completely different environment than other zoos do. While I do have some reservations on pinioned birds, it was a fantastic sight to see so many free-ranging species from around the world going about their business in a peaceful way.
Sounds like a nice little collection! The flamingo exhibit in particular seems to be quite an interesting photo opportunity with the chateau in the background. Oh and the emerald doves are a very nice species! Hope to see them someday...
As for the English-French thing, that has happened to me a few times, especially when I was younger and my English accent was clearly discernible when I spoke French. Nowadays I don’t get it as much but I think generally people in the south of France make more of an effort to accommodate other languages given the tourism industry around there and just generally having an older population. However, I would say that a lot of people in France prefer Spanish to English given the similarities within the language and so relatively few know English compared to a country like Germany. Or perhaps it is just my experience of often having to rely on it over there, who knows?
Thank very much @lintworm for this interesting review. I am waiting for the next park (is it possible to have a list of the parks visited right now ?).
Cleres has seen great refurbishments since a few years and the owner's decision (the Seine Maritime County) to invest a lot of money in its economical development.
Cleres has seen great refurbishments since a few years and the owner's decision (the Seine Maritime County) to invest a lot of money in its economical development.
sooty mangabey
Well-Known Member
I’m not sure that the lack of visits can be put down to fewer posts on ZC - more likely the other way round!this undervisited region has some of Germany's finest zoos and it's best aquarium, but as no-one posts much about them, it is not visited.
I think there are several other reasons why France features less on ZC than Germany and the Netherlands, for example.
Alongside the obvious reasons, the places you are highlighting thus far are in regions most visited by families, and which are wholly set up for such visitors. If I were travelling alone, I’d head to Berlin or Prague or Arnhem. If I were contemplating a family holiday, with my wife and children, France would be on the agenda - and I’d be hoping to sneak in a zoo or two!
I agree with your positive responses thus far: I do think France has some great, and sometimes undervalued zoos. I also love Beauval (which i suspect you won’t). I’m looking forward to seeing how far you traveled: Palmyre is the place I just didn’t get, and thought was simply horrible. I’d be interested to read some other views...
I think there is a sort of snowball effect at work, if you write about it, they will visit...
Val de Reuil, Biotropica
View on Biotropica
With so many private zoos in France, it might not be surprising that multiple often have the same owner. In 2012 the owners of the Parc des Felins and CERZA decided that two zoos was not enough, so they built Biotropica, which is still the largest greenhouse in a French zoo at 6000 square meters. The greenhouse is of the garden centre style and though it is tall, it is architecturally extremely simple. A small outdoor section complements the greenhouse. There is a number of free-flying birds around, but the greenhouse itself is almost completely filled with enclosures for small mammals, reptiles and fish, so there is never a sense of rainforest feeling. The collection is very nice though and most individual enclosures are fine, if not always very pretty. With Black-and-Rufous Sengi, Gharial, Comoro’s Flying Fox and a breeding group of Slender-snouted Crocodiles among many others there is a choice collection of small mammals and reptiles. For some reason it was necessary to add albino Mississippi Alligators.
Flying Fox enclosure with Three-banded Armadillo on the ground (and an Axolotl tank on the left)
Reptile and Amphibian displays
Indian Gharial enclosure (only houses juveniles)
Prehensile-tailed Porcupine enclosure
Slender-snouted Crocodile enclosure
Unused monkey island
Outdoors consists of a random mix of enclosures. There is an Australian section with multiple Kangaroo enclosures, with the obligatory walkthrough. Next is a small complex with Northern Cheetahs, Meerkats, Dwarf Mongoose, Fennec, Cape Ground Squirrel and a lovely small walkthrough with a selection of African birds. Such walkthrough aviaries are so simple and effective it is a shame not more zoos have them. A large farm area (with Magellanic Goose and other ducks and Barn Owls in a tiny barn), a small Asian section with Small-clawed Otters and Red Panda, a Humboldt Penguin enclosure and a huge lake with pelicans complete the outdoor area. This section feels underused and there would be room to create more enclosures and expand the interesting small mammal and bird collection further. For now Biotropica is an interesting 2-3 hour stop, but it doesn’t warrant a long drive.
African small mammal enclosures (Cape Ground squirrel left, Meerkats right, Dwarf Mongoose in the distance)
African aviary
This zoo gave an introduction to the budget building style that is extremely common in French zoos. Mock rock is hardly used and fences are dominant. This often makes for not the prettiest, but mostly very effective enclosures for the inhabitants.
This was the first zoo of day 3 and in the late morning I wanted to drive to CERZA. Smart as I am I had locked myself out of my car, with the keys inside a locked car… Unfortunately for me everyone in France takes a lunch break from 12:00-14:00, so even though the Dutch insurance company was extremely quick, the uptake from the French side was rather slow (at least that's what they said). Somehow a car miraculously appeared around 12:45 and the technician showed how easy it is to break into a locked car. It took him about 2 minutes without damaging anything... Not a very re-assuring sight, but I was glad to be on my way again .
Huge male Red Kangaroo
Grey-cheeked hornbill
@lintworm, just a correction : Biotropica and Cerza have the same owner, Thierry Jardin.
His brother, Patrick Jardin is the owner of Le Parc des Félins and Terre de Singes in Seine et Marne County.
At the beginning, the two brothers created Cerza in 1986 and, in 1998, they created Parc des Félins, at the time in Auneau.
I don't know exactly when (it was at the early 2000's) but the brothers decided to share the two zoos. Thierry took Cerza and Patrick Parc des Félins. You know the rest : Thierry Jardin created Biotropica in the 2010's. Patrick Jardin decided to transfer Parc des Félins near Paris in a larger land in 2006 and created Terre de Singes a few years ago.
His brother, Patrick Jardin is the owner of Le Parc des Félins and Terre de Singes in Seine et Marne County.
At the beginning, the two brothers created Cerza in 1986 and, in 1998, they created Parc des Félins, at the time in Auneau.
I don't know exactly when (it was at the early 2000's) but the brothers decided to share the two zoos. Thierry took Cerza and Patrick Parc des Félins. You know the rest : Thierry Jardin created Biotropica in the 2010's. Patrick Jardin decided to transfer Parc des Félins near Paris in a larger land in 2006 and created Terre de Singes a few years ago.
As, perhaps, demonstrated by the fact that since I visited Magdeburg in 2014 and wrote copiously about the collection, it has become significantly more discussed on Zoochat, and is now often cited as the obvious and automatic combination with a Berlin and/or Leipzig trip.
Lisieux, CERZA
This is one of the more famous French zoos, not in the least due to it’s unique name, which stands for Centre d’Étude et de Reproduction Zoologique Augeron (Zoological Centre for Studies and Reproduction of the Auge region). It is a collection that focuses heavily on larger mammals, especially hoofstock and carnivores. I had quite high expectations from this zoo and thought it would be one of the best zoos on the trip, but I was disappointed.
Part of the disappointment will have to do with the extreme crowding of the zoo, it was packed. The number of visitors on the ground was completely irresponsible and the lay-out with often relatively narrow paths on two one-way circuits made it impossible to avoid crowds at all. Only after 6 pm did it become somewhat more quiet, but zoos like CERZA should not complain if they will have to close again if infections soar again, as they are complicit in the spread of the virus.
How not to social distance
As mentioned CERZA consists of two loops, a red and a yellow one. The red circuit focuses mostly on African animals, but also includes a small tropical house with terraria, a nice walkthrough aviary with birds from around the world and the burrowing animals house, which off-course holds tamarins, as well as 6-banded Armadillo. The first enclosure one encounters is the large savannah. This is basically a huge square plot of grass with Giraffe, White Rhino, Gemsbok, Nile Lechwe, Watusi and Ostrich. It would become a theme throughout the zoo, but things like landscaping, planting and immersion are not part of the CERZA vocabulary. The circuit continues with large wooded enclosures for African Wild Dog, Spotted & Striped Hyena, a lemur walkthrough and a smaller savanna with Greater Kudu and Scimitar-horned Oryx, but unfortunately no White-tailed Gnu anymore. Two highlights are the pair of Pygmy Hippo enclosures, which are large, well wooded and with a large pool. Easily the best pair of outdoor enclosures I had seen for that species until then. The Leopard enclosure (I believe for Sri Lankan Leopard) is also nice, it is spacious and the leopards can use most of the trees in the enclosure. Open-topped Leopard enclosures are rare in the rest of Europe, but were common in France. The indoor stables for the Pygmy Hippo were however extremely basic, as was all other indoor accommodation. The Leopards also only had one enclosure, so if they have to be separated, there is only a tiny separation cage or indoor housing. That makes 0 sense to me as there is plenty of space to create a sizeable second enclosure….
Main savannah
Pygmy Hippo indoors
Pygmy Hippo outdoors, shared with Roloway Monkey. There is a second large enclosure for the other hippo too.
Scimitar-horned Oryx & Greater Kudu enclosure
The yellow loop features from animals from around the world. The highlight is at the start with a huge enclosure for Lion-tailed Macaque, Binturong and Reeves’s Muntjac (falsely signed as Indian Muntjac on one side, but not the other….). To see Binturong 15 meter up in a tree from a raised walkway was a real treat. The nearby Malayan Tapir enclosures were also great, simple but spacious and effective, with lots of shade and a pool. What follows are simple but large and effective enclosures for Spectacled Bear and “Arctic” Wolves. The Polar Bear enclosure is next and it is almost the only enclosure where there is some cultural theming around, with some huts. The enclosures were smaller than I thought, but still larger than all the German ones and very open. I would have expected more shade, but at least the pools were large. New in this loop is also a small Indonesian village with a large enclosure for a pair of Babirusa, already with a piglet and a large Sulawesi Crested Macaque & Small-clawed Otter enclosure. Overall there is a large number of other hoofstock and carnivore species (6 White Tigers on a big lawn….) in this area. Whereas all enclosures are spacious and individually fine, it is shocking how little use is made of the varied landscape on which the zoo is built. It is often little more than fencing a plot (and in the case of the Australian walkthrough, randomly drop a plane). With that style it certainly smells of a missed opportunity and it makes the whole zoo look very cheap and lacking charisma. France has several zoos that are oozing with charisma and a key characteristic of them is that they use their history and terrain to their advantage, something CERZA hardly does. I was also surprised at how basic indoor accommodation and separation possibilities are throughout the zoo. With so much space available, a little more attention to that shouldn’t be difficult.
Gelada Baboon enclosure
Lion-tailed Macaque, Reeves' Muntjac & Binturong enclosure.
Malayan Tapir enclosure
One of the two Polar Bear enclosures
Obligatory plane crash in the kangaroo walkthrough
Babirusa enclosure
Sulawesi Crested Macaque & Small-clawed otter enclosure
Indian Rhino valley
Some parts of the collection can only be seen through the Safari Train, though this train mostly shows you enclosures you can also see from the walking loops. The queue was absolutely ridiculous and social distancing was not enforced in the slightest. The queue also blocked the road to the entrance/exit, so even less space available. The tour has a pre-recorded audio tune (like in the Singapore Night Safari and others) and surprisingly it is both in French and English. Though the English hardly passes as English, as it is spoken by a French guy with an extremely over the top French accent, which is so bad it must be done on purpose. It is really quite annoying to listen to this guy. The only animals you cannot see by walking are American Bison, Reindeer, Eland, Grant’s Zebra, Blue Wildebeest and Red Forest Buffalo, so skipping this can definitely be worth it….
African Savannah on the safari train.
Overall this was a somewhat disappointing visit, CERZA certainly has shortcomings, but visiting on a more quiet day would probably have enhanced the experience, though it is certainly not a great zoo. It is mostly a fine zoo though, but entering with the reputation of it being one of France’s finest zoos, it was disappointing. It is still one of France largest zoos and the large mammal collection is impressive and well worth a look overall.
This is one of the more famous French zoos, not in the least due to it’s unique name, which stands for Centre d’Étude et de Reproduction Zoologique Augeron (Zoological Centre for Studies and Reproduction of the Auge region). It is a collection that focuses heavily on larger mammals, especially hoofstock and carnivores. I had quite high expectations from this zoo and thought it would be one of the best zoos on the trip, but I was disappointed.
Part of the disappointment will have to do with the extreme crowding of the zoo, it was packed. The number of visitors on the ground was completely irresponsible and the lay-out with often relatively narrow paths on two one-way circuits made it impossible to avoid crowds at all. Only after 6 pm did it become somewhat more quiet, but zoos like CERZA should not complain if they will have to close again if infections soar again, as they are complicit in the spread of the virus.
How not to social distance
As mentioned CERZA consists of two loops, a red and a yellow one. The red circuit focuses mostly on African animals, but also includes a small tropical house with terraria, a nice walkthrough aviary with birds from around the world and the burrowing animals house, which off-course holds tamarins, as well as 6-banded Armadillo. The first enclosure one encounters is the large savannah. This is basically a huge square plot of grass with Giraffe, White Rhino, Gemsbok, Nile Lechwe, Watusi and Ostrich. It would become a theme throughout the zoo, but things like landscaping, planting and immersion are not part of the CERZA vocabulary. The circuit continues with large wooded enclosures for African Wild Dog, Spotted & Striped Hyena, a lemur walkthrough and a smaller savanna with Greater Kudu and Scimitar-horned Oryx, but unfortunately no White-tailed Gnu anymore. Two highlights are the pair of Pygmy Hippo enclosures, which are large, well wooded and with a large pool. Easily the best pair of outdoor enclosures I had seen for that species until then. The Leopard enclosure (I believe for Sri Lankan Leopard) is also nice, it is spacious and the leopards can use most of the trees in the enclosure. Open-topped Leopard enclosures are rare in the rest of Europe, but were common in France. The indoor stables for the Pygmy Hippo were however extremely basic, as was all other indoor accommodation. The Leopards also only had one enclosure, so if they have to be separated, there is only a tiny separation cage or indoor housing. That makes 0 sense to me as there is plenty of space to create a sizeable second enclosure….
Main savannah
Pygmy Hippo indoors
Pygmy Hippo outdoors, shared with Roloway Monkey. There is a second large enclosure for the other hippo too.
Scimitar-horned Oryx & Greater Kudu enclosure
The yellow loop features from animals from around the world. The highlight is at the start with a huge enclosure for Lion-tailed Macaque, Binturong and Reeves’s Muntjac (falsely signed as Indian Muntjac on one side, but not the other….). To see Binturong 15 meter up in a tree from a raised walkway was a real treat. The nearby Malayan Tapir enclosures were also great, simple but spacious and effective, with lots of shade and a pool. What follows are simple but large and effective enclosures for Spectacled Bear and “Arctic” Wolves. The Polar Bear enclosure is next and it is almost the only enclosure where there is some cultural theming around, with some huts. The enclosures were smaller than I thought, but still larger than all the German ones and very open. I would have expected more shade, but at least the pools were large. New in this loop is also a small Indonesian village with a large enclosure for a pair of Babirusa, already with a piglet and a large Sulawesi Crested Macaque & Small-clawed Otter enclosure. Overall there is a large number of other hoofstock and carnivore species (6 White Tigers on a big lawn….) in this area. Whereas all enclosures are spacious and individually fine, it is shocking how little use is made of the varied landscape on which the zoo is built. It is often little more than fencing a plot (and in the case of the Australian walkthrough, randomly drop a plane). With that style it certainly smells of a missed opportunity and it makes the whole zoo look very cheap and lacking charisma. France has several zoos that are oozing with charisma and a key characteristic of them is that they use their history and terrain to their advantage, something CERZA hardly does. I was also surprised at how basic indoor accommodation and separation possibilities are throughout the zoo. With so much space available, a little more attention to that shouldn’t be difficult.
Gelada Baboon enclosure
Lion-tailed Macaque, Reeves' Muntjac & Binturong enclosure.
Malayan Tapir enclosure
One of the two Polar Bear enclosures
Obligatory plane crash in the kangaroo walkthrough
Babirusa enclosure
Sulawesi Crested Macaque & Small-clawed otter enclosure
Indian Rhino valley
Some parts of the collection can only be seen through the Safari Train, though this train mostly shows you enclosures you can also see from the walking loops. The queue was absolutely ridiculous and social distancing was not enforced in the slightest. The queue also blocked the road to the entrance/exit, so even less space available. The tour has a pre-recorded audio tune (like in the Singapore Night Safari and others) and surprisingly it is both in French and English. Though the English hardly passes as English, as it is spoken by a French guy with an extremely over the top French accent, which is so bad it must be done on purpose. It is really quite annoying to listen to this guy. The only animals you cannot see by walking are American Bison, Reindeer, Eland, Grant’s Zebra, Blue Wildebeest and Red Forest Buffalo, so skipping this can definitely be worth it….
African Savannah on the safari train.
Overall this was a somewhat disappointing visit, CERZA certainly has shortcomings, but visiting on a more quiet day would probably have enhanced the experience, though it is certainly not a great zoo. It is mostly a fine zoo though, but entering with the reputation of it being one of France’s finest zoos, it was disappointing. It is still one of France largest zoos and the large mammal collection is impressive and well worth a look overall.
@lintworm thank you for the important addition to the ZooChat classics. CERZA was one of the reviews I was waiting with great interest. The collection is definitely very strong, but as you acknowledged before, the lack of rarities in the lists of the big French zoos makes impression.
@TeaLovingDave mentioned the rising interest to Magdeburg lately, for which he definitely contributed, but besides some great new ares as Africambo, they have animals, that can force few ZooChaters to cross the ocean, what about to take the first local train from Berlin. The area is not very rich, and there are the Hundertwasser house, the Water Bridge and the Zoo. The last one is probably the most Internationaly known already.
On the other side Normandy and Loire's Valley, where the best zoological attractions in France are located are famous Historical, Wine and Cultural destinations. I believe, the zoo marketing departments targeting more the tourists , that visit this areas anyway and can spent a day in a zoo as a side attraction, than the other way around. Therefore , the importance of big ABC collection is higher, than a state-of-the-art exhibit or housing Marbled Polecats. This can explain relatively low interest here, imo.
I will wait for the next review impatiently and really hope you made it to Haute - Touche.
@TeaLovingDave mentioned the rising interest to Magdeburg lately, for which he definitely contributed, but besides some great new ares as Africambo, they have animals, that can force few ZooChaters to cross the ocean, what about to take the first local train from Berlin. The area is not very rich, and there are the Hundertwasser house, the Water Bridge and the Zoo. The last one is probably the most Internationaly known already.
On the other side Normandy and Loire's Valley, where the best zoological attractions in France are located are famous Historical, Wine and Cultural destinations. I believe, the zoo marketing departments targeting more the tourists , that visit this areas anyway and can spent a day in a zoo as a side attraction, than the other way around. Therefore , the importance of big ABC collection is higher, than a state-of-the-art exhibit or housing Marbled Polecats. This can explain relatively low interest here, imo.
I will wait for the next review impatiently and really hope you made it to Haute - Touche.
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@lintworm Thank you for this new review.
I can't say more that you wrote. Unfortunately, the future will not be different as the owner don't want to create fine enclosures. He think fences are not a problem and doesn't want to put too much money in them. That's a shame.
You put a finger on a big problem in France : the indoor animals houses are small and not done with good materials in general. Moreover, there is a lack of multi-enclosures for breeding and managing (even in important or fine zoos such as Beauval, Branfere, Doué, Mulhouse).
A real big problem for me.
I can't say more that you wrote. Unfortunately, the future will not be different as the owner don't want to create fine enclosures. He think fences are not a problem and doesn't want to put too much money in them. That's a shame.
You put a finger on a big problem in France : the indoor animals houses are small and not done with good materials in general. Moreover, there is a lack of multi-enclosures for breeding and managing (even in important or fine zoos such as Beauval, Branfere, Doué, Mulhouse).
A real big problem for me.
I was disappointed too when I visited CERZA 3 years ago for the same reason : no scenery, only square enclosures with some grass and trees, and fence everywhere, despite so much space. Same disappointment in the Parc des Félins, owned by the brother of CERZA's owner.
I agree with you with too small indoors. Or even the lack of proper indoor animal houses (some cats in the Parc des Félins don't have any, only a small space separated from the main enclosure with no walls, it's fence with a roof)