It is interesting to read about a zoo focused entirely on European natives. Is this potentially the most comprehensive native-focused zoo in Europe? What other zoos would be contenders for that?
Into the unknown: zoos of western France
- Thread starter lintworm
- Start date
There are actually quite a number of those, but the majority of them are smaller Wildpark types.
One of the two big ones that stand out is the Alpenzoo in Innsbruck, Austria. This zoo only has species that occur (have occured) in the Alps. The mammal collection is maybe not comprehensive, but when it comes to birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish this is probably the largest collection focusing solely on European species. This zoo is probably the winner for comprehensiveness.
Tierpark Dählhölzli in Bern, Switzerland, also only keeps European species on its outdoor area. As they do not limit themselves to the Alps, their mammal collection is somewhat larger and includes the likes of Musk Ox and Persian Leopard (which occurs on the edge of Europe). Goldau is another Swiss zoo with a large variety of European species (and certainly has more birds than Bern).
Germany has a large number of wildparks and small zoos which focus on European species, but they are mostly focused on larger mammals. The Bayerwald Tierpark does have a good selection of birds as well though.
In Czechia there are Ohrada and Chomutov. The former has a very comprehensive selection of European species, but they also keep a number of exotics. Chomutov focuses solely on Eurasia (excluding the tropics), so also has a good collection, but doesn't completely fit the scope of your question.
In Scandinavia there are also some, like Skandinavsk Dyrepark in Kolind and AQUA in Silkeborg (both in Denmark). But their collections are not that large.
So overall the Alpenzoo, Bern and Zoodyssee are probably the three best zoos to see European species. But depending on your specific interest there is a lot to choose from....
Nothing wrong Lintworm ? Sure yes ! The brown spider monkey island is just a nightmare. You uploaded the picture of it and we can see the whole island... without any trees or natural plants !
But the lemurs walkthrough is in my opinion a delight as the wooden part is nice and large. In spring you can spot lemurs with lots of flowers.
This zoo is an old one, opened in 1959, with a difficult economical situation until the arrival of Sebastien Laurent, la Boissiere's owner, in 2007. Since then, the old crippy zoo has been refurbished and anlarged two or three times. It's not a very interesting park but you can combine it on a trip with Zoodyssee which makes a good day for zoo enthousiasts.
But the lemurs walkthrough is in my opinion a delight as the wooden part is nice and large. In spring you can spot lemurs with lots of flowers.
This zoo is an old one, opened in 1959, with a difficult economical situation until the arrival of Sebastien Laurent, la Boissiere's owner, in 2007. Since then, the old crippy zoo has been refurbished and anlarged two or three times. It's not a very interesting park but you can combine it on a trip with Zoodyssee which makes a good day for zoo enthousiasts.
It wasn't meant literally, just as a figure of speech. There are several enclosures that had some flaws (though probably none more than that island), but overall the level of the enclosures is pretty high.
Romagne, la Vallée des Singes
Roughly 25 years ago Apenheul founder Wim Mager was asked whether he wanted to create a new monkey park, this time in the French countryside. He did and he was able to use some of his successful Apenheul principles (like walkthroughs and the compartmentalized design of indoor enclosures), but this time without space limitations or limitations on building sizes. The result is a park that is unique in Europe and while it has some Apenheul blood, it is also very distinct from it.
part of Brown Spider Monkey island
small part of Chimpanzee island
Small part of the first Peruvian Squirrel Monkey walkthrough
It is impossible not to compare Apenheul and lVdS given their history and similar goals. The main difference is that the different areas in Apenheul feel much more distinct, whereas in lVdS they are more similar in appearance. Generally primates have a lot more space in lVdS and only the Squirrel Monkey and the Western Gorillas have more space in Apenheul than in their French counterpart. Everyone who has visited Apenheul knows how crazy that sounds…. In terms of collection; both focus heavily on S-American monkeys and lemurs, but in France there are slightly more African species, where Apenheul has some more Asian species.
Woolly Monkey on his island (only small part visible on the picture)
Gorilla and Colobus island (all trees are fully accessible)
Red-bellied and Black Lemur walkthrough
More so than in the Apenheul the enclosures and walkthroughs are generally huge and with much denser tree cover. This means that the primates can be more difficult to locate, but it also means that sightings are so much more beautiful. Seeing Spider Monkeys crashing through the canopy, Mandrill silently foraging on the forest floor and Chimpanzees appearing out of the bush in an open patch of forest is just wonderful. I notice more and more that I am looking for zoos that can truthfully replicate the experience of seeing animals in the wild. lVdS does this in an amazing way and is all the better for it. One could discuss whether the enclosures aren’t too big and the animals too hard to see for the general public. And while this is true up to a certain extent: one could halve most enclosures and still have a world class enclosures… I do not agree, I personally saw all but 2 species on my visit and there are enough walkthrough areas with animals easily visible. Additionally most visitors tend to visit the feeding presentations and then the animals will be drawn into the open.
Chimpanzee crashing through the bush
Colobus in the trees
Roloway Monkey up high
It cannot be overstated how huge and natural most enclosures are. The obvious highlight is the Bonobo complex. Even with the main island currently divided in two, it still is easily the largest Bonobo enclosure in Europe. And what makes it even more special is that a large part is densely forested and all trees can be climbed by the animals. Unfortunately I did not see that, but at least I saw one of the males using an enrichment station in a forest clearing before disappearing again in the bush. The majority of the animals was relaxing, playing and socializing in the open part of the enclosure and it is great to see 15+ Bonobo together. The Chimpanzee island is even more densely planted and here it is down to good luck whether the chimps want to show themselves, which they did with some patience.
A part of the wooded area of the Bonobo island
Bonobo enrichment station in the forest
Bonobo island main view (all trees in the background belong to the enclosure and are climbable)
part of the 2nd Bonobo enclosure, which currently hosts the future Rhenen group
The collection really almost only consists of primates, though Meerkats were added this year, and there are some rarities on show like Woolly Monkey, Roloway and Southern White-cheeked Gibbon (wrongly signed as Northern). Unfortunately I did not see any White-nosed Guenon signed anymore.
Southern White-cheeked Gibbon female
Overall it is hard to decide whether I liked lVdS or Apenheul more… But currently I am drawn towards the French, even though the different areas are more monotonous. They provide an even more unique zoo experience and it is a pity that it is located in the middle of nowhere, otherwise I would be an regular visitor…
More pictures are in the gallery:
La Vallee des Singes - ZooChat
Are capuchins still in walkthrough enclosures?It wasn't meant literally, just as a figure of speech. There are several enclosures that had some flaws (though probably none more than that island), but overall the level of the enclosures is pretty high.
Romagne, la Vallée des Singes
Roughly 25 years ago Apenheul founder Wim Mager was asked whether he wanted to create a new monkey park, this time in the French countryside. He did and he was able to use some of his successful Apenheul principles (like walkthroughs and the compartmentalized design of indoor enclosures), but this time without space limitations or limitations on building sizes. The result is a park that is unique in Europe and while it has some Apenheul blood, it is also very distinct from it.
part of Brown Spider Monkey island
small part of Chimpanzee island
Small part of the first Peruvian Squirrel Monkey walkthrough
It is impossible not to compare Apenheul and lVdS given their history and similar goals. The main difference is that the different areas in Apenheul feel much more distinct, whereas in lVdS they are more similar in appearance. Generally primates have a lot more space in lVdS and only the Squirrel Monkey and the Western Gorillas have more space in Apenheul than in their French counterpart. Everyone who has visited Apenheul knows how crazy that sounds…. In terms of collection; both focus heavily on S-American monkeys and lemurs, but in France there are slightly more African species, where Apenheul has some more Asian species.
Woolly Monkey on his island (only small part visible on the picture)
Gorilla and Colobus island (all trees are fully accessible)
Red-bellied and Black Lemur walkthrough
More so than in the Apenheul the enclosures and walkthroughs are generally huge and with much denser tree cover. This means that the primates can be more difficult to locate, but it also means that sightings are so much more beautiful. Seeing Spider Monkeys crashing through the canopy, Mandrill silently foraging on the forest floor and Chimpanzees appearing out of the bush in an open patch of forest is just wonderful. I notice more and more that I am looking for zoos that can truthfully replicate the experience of seeing animals in the wild. lVdS does this in an amazing way and is all the better for it. One could discuss whether the enclosures aren’t too big and the animals too hard to see for the general public. And while this is true up to a certain extent: one could halve most enclosures and still have a world class enclosures… I do not agree, I personally saw all but 2 species on my visit and there are enough walkthrough areas with animals easily visible. Additionally most visitors tend to visit the feeding presentations and then the animals will be drawn into the open.
Chimpanzee crashing through the bush
Colobus in the trees
Roloway Monkey up high
It cannot be overstated how huge and natural most enclosures are. The obvious highlight is the Bonobo complex. Even with the main island currently divided in two, it still is easily the largest Bonobo enclosure in Europe. And what makes it even more special is that a large part is densely forested and all trees can be climbed by the animals. Unfortunately I did not see that, but at least I saw one of the males using an enrichment station in a forest clearing before disappearing again in the bush. The majority of the animals was relaxing, playing and socializing in the open part of the enclosure and it is great to see 15+ Bonobo together. The Chimpanzee island is even more densely planted and here it is down to good luck whether the chimps want to show themselves, which they did with some patience.
A part of the wooded area of the Bonobo island
Bonobo enrichment station in the forest
Bonobo island main view (all trees in the background belong to the enclosure and are climbable)
part of the 2nd Bonobo enclosure, which currently hosts the future Rhenen group
The collection really almost only consists of primates, though Meerkats were added this year, and there are some rarities on show like Woolly Monkey, Roloway and Southern White-cheeked Gibbon (wrongly signed as Northern). Unfortunately I did not see any White-nosed Guenon signed anymore.
Southern White-cheeked Gibbon female
Overall it is hard to decide whether I liked lVdS or Apenheul more… But currently I am drawn towards the French, even though the different areas are more monotonous. They provide an even more unique zoo experience and it is a pity that it is located in the middle of nowhere, otherwise I would be an regular visitor…
More pictures are in the gallery:
La Vallee des Singes - ZooChat
I understand your review @lintworm but believe me, as a regular visitor, this park can be boring. That's why I prefer Apenheul even I think primates have better conditions in la Vallée.
What annoys me is that la Vallée has all to do better and doesn't do it. I expect that the mention futur orang-utans exhibit will arrive and propose something different. I hope addition of other primates especially from asia and africa but the owner seems to prefer other animals than monkeys now...
And for your info, the bonobos exhibit is 11.000 m2.
- 9.000 m2 for the main outdoor enclosure.
- 2.000 m2 for the second one.
- 900 m2 for the house (two main indoor enclosures and 2/3 other enclosures + a lot of boxes).
When the bonobos arrived in 2011 I saw them in the trees. It seems now they don't climb often.
White nosed guenons lived the park two years ago. It's a shame. The pair was always at the top of the trees. Pure delight !
What annoys me is that la Vallée has all to do better and doesn't do it. I expect that the mention futur orang-utans exhibit will arrive and propose something different. I hope addition of other primates especially from asia and africa but the owner seems to prefer other animals than monkeys now...
And for your info, the bonobos exhibit is 11.000 m2.
- 9.000 m2 for the main outdoor enclosure.
- 2.000 m2 for the second one.
- 900 m2 for the house (two main indoor enclosures and 2/3 other enclosures + a lot of boxes).
When the bonobos arrived in 2011 I saw them in the trees. It seems now they don't climb often.
White nosed guenons lived the park two years ago. It's a shame. The pair was always at the top of the trees. Pure delight !
Not anymore. They have a new island between chimps and brown spider monkeys.
darn
As a regular Apenheul visitor (I have had an annual pass for several seasons now...), maybe it is also the change of monkey zoo that means something then
Is the former capuchin walkthrough now the second lemur one?
The review of La Vallee des Singes is enlightening, especially written by someone who adores Apenheul in the Netherlands. When I had my long European zoo trek last summer, Apenheul was simply amazing and I had a fantastic experience there...and you claim that La Vallee des Singes is just as impressive. I'll have to visit it one day on a 'Snowleopard Road Trip' through France. 
Seeing photos of some of the huge primate exhibits, such as several acres for Bonobos, is exciting but it also gets me a bit frustrated when I look at countless other zoos around the world that could be improved. I'm not just talking about me seeing Chimpanzees in tiny cages at roadside American zoos, but some of the primate exhibits at mainstream, AZA-accredited zoos are hugely disappointing. Why can't other zoos, whether they are in Europe or North America, contain primates in natural settings? Space is a concern, as a lot of land is required to build vast enclosures, but I'm guessing that La Vallee des Singes has an annual budget that pales in comparison to many other famous zoos around the world. If this primate-friendly zoo in France can pull it off, then there are a hundred other zoos that should make the effort.
Seeing photos of some of the huge primate exhibits, such as several acres for Bonobos, is exciting but it also gets me a bit frustrated when I look at countless other zoos around the world that could be improved. I'm not just talking about me seeing Chimpanzees in tiny cages at roadside American zoos, but some of the primate exhibits at mainstream, AZA-accredited zoos are hugely disappointing. Why can't other zoos, whether they are in Europe or North America, contain primates in natural settings? Space is a concern, as a lot of land is required to build vast enclosures, but I'm guessing that La Vallee des Singes has an annual budget that pales in comparison to many other famous zoos around the world. If this primate-friendly zoo in France can pull it off, then there are a hundred other zoos that should make the effort.
....and is a collection I shall always be something of a cheerleader for
If you're interested in an enclosure-by-enclosure walkthrough of Alpenzoo as of 2015, I have written and posted such a thread here @DavidBrown :
The Alpine Adventures Of A Tea-Loving Dave - April 11 2015 [Alpine Zoo Innsbruck]
Were it not for the current pandemic, I would have revisited in March 2020 and updated the thread - something to hopefully look forward to in the future!
Chomutov is another rather excellent collection, and one I should review one of these days.
Oh what a beautiful language...
You mean the "super rare subspecies" as we were told in one small private Czech zoo?
Well...RIP our zoos
Yeah, so beautiful that the automatic correction had to sabotage me: the correct spelling is Rechtsfahrgebot.Oh what a beautiful language...
As a regular Apenheul visitor (I have had an annual pass for several seasons now...), maybe it is also the change of monkey zoo that means something then
Is the former capuchin walkthrough now the second lemur one?
You're right. It was amazing to be so close to the capuchins but there were a lot of problems with visitors and some tiny robbers
@snowleopard You're right too. The experience with monkeys in natural habitats is better than every others (for monkeys and visitors). Problem is zoo always do the more simple when they create an exhibit. It's easier to put down trees and put mock-rock than to plant ones and wait them grow. Time is unique and you can't buy it.
But la Vallée was just create on a wooden area so they have no merit. Now, the monkeys destroyed a lot of trees. For exemple, the gorillas was a real forest island before. A real dream. Now it's no so beautiful (due to guereza particularly).
Since a few years they planted some trees and it's look better but not the same as previoulsy. At the moment, there are no other wooden part for extension so will see what happen in the future. Not sure all will be as natural as possible.
Part of this is that all zoos copy eachother and the recent trends have been "naturalistic" enclosures that more often than not (especially in some American places) end up being mock-rock desert lawns. As @Antoine says, planting a tree takes time and few zoos take that effort.... Not using mock-rock is a huge cost saver, especially if you want to have nice rocks. Unfortunately there are still too many zoos that use extremely fake rock work, which is so expensive still, but also ugly as hell...
Fortunately for you (and everyone else), my preferences have no actual impact on the zoo world. Also, I do not think zoos that do not provide expierences similar to nature are bad. I am on my way to Schönbrunn now and I absolutely love that zoo, but not because it gives the same thrill as visiting a nature reserve. What I do hope though is that zoo will make their primate exhibits taller (especially also for the smaller species) and give them access to living plants and trees. They are so much more interesting for primates than ropes and mock-rock. Apenheul and lVdS are examples on how to do that if you have loads of space. But zoos like Rostock and Ostrava (Diana Guenons!) show what can be done in a more zoo-like setting.
If I were to highlight any primate exhibit at Ostrava I'd have gone for the langur/bear exhibit!
I specifically wanted to highlight an enclosure that was not gigantic, there will be only very few zoos who have >1 hectare of forest to spare
Le Vigen, Parc Zoo Reynou
This zoo, again one built around a chateau, is a zoo of contrasts. Around the chateau and its sheds is a large number of ugly, mostly too small cages and enclosures hosting a range of birds, primates and small mammals. These are mostly really disappointing and especially the part that looks like a walled garden is just an eyesore. It is also strange to see a nocturnal house with Ball Pythons and Corn Snakes in two of the five enclosures. However, a pair of active Kinkajou in a larger enclosure made up for that.
Patas cage
Whereas the nucleus of the zoo, around the chateau, is largely disappointing, the periphery is not. There are several huge hoofstock enclosures, including two African savannahs that appeared somewhat understocked. Especially the White Rhino + Blue Wildebeest + Grant’s Zebra + Nile Lechwe enclosure showed how easy it is to create a pretty savannah without ugly fences if you do a little bit of landscaping. Two large Asian enclosures with Onager, Barasingha and others were also nice, but with more ugly fences. With Blue Sheep and Visayan Spotted Deer, the collection was also rather nice.There is also a number of large carnivore enclosures here, with Sumatran Tiger, Snowleopards and Wolves living in pieces of forest. Sri Lankan Leopards did have an open-topped enclosure here as well and though it is great, I had the feeling the fence could have been higher…
Rhino savannah. My personal highlight was the new Polar Bear complex, which basically consisted of two large fenced off pieces of meadow and shrubland, with a pool in the middle. It is extremely low budget and at first glance looks more like a Wolf or Brown Bear enclosure, but provides space, enrichment, shade and a stimulating environment for the bears. I wonder whether this is the real future of Polar Bears in Europe, as many of these tundra replicating enclosures are just too open and boring… There were two very relaxed males living here and from an animal perspective probably the best Polar Bear exhibit I have seen, but there is no underwater viewing or wave machine
. Also here the fence is just as high as a Polar Bear on his hindlegs, which feels a bit weird... But I suppose this enclosure has been approved by an expert.
The Polar Bear enclosures.
Because of a dry period, many of the zoo’s moats had gone dry and where the Red Panda were therefore behind the scenes and the Gibbon island was fenced off (another zoo with the extremely rare Southern White-cheeked Gibbon that has the wrong signage (Nomascus concolor instead of N. siki….)), the Ring-tailed Lemurs were only fenced in on paper, as they could easily walk underneath the fence…. That does sum up this zoo a bit, as they do some stuff very nice, but there was a somewhat amateur feel surrounding this place. It is an interesting zoo if you are in the area anyway, but not much more than that.
The extremely safe Ring-tailed Lemur fence.I will upload more pictures once a gallery is created.
Attachments
Feel free to drop by if you happen to come past Salzburg. Unless, of course, if that would be off (-) course.
Le Reynou is a very young park created in the 90's. As you point out this is a two faces zoo with very uggly enclosures near the castle (binturongs, patas...) and large natural plains.
Since the arrival of Doctor Franck Haelewyn (as zoological director) there have been a lot of new species and some new interesting enclosures (sumatran tigers and polar bears especially) but no real improvment for the whole zoo. I suppose lack of money (less than 100.000 visitors) is a problem.
@lintworm Are you sure for the Sri Lankan leopards ? Until now they had "african hybrid" but no Sri Lankan. Where were they in the park ?
Regarding fencing, this is a big problem in this zoo. For a long time vervet monkeys were locked up in their house because they were always escaped. The same four years ago for my last visit with guereza that were running out of their island... near young children. Could have been an horror
Since the arrival of Doctor Franck Haelewyn (as zoological director) there have been a lot of new species and some new interesting enclosures (sumatran tigers and polar bears especially) but no real improvment for the whole zoo. I suppose lack of money (less than 100.000 visitors) is a problem.
@lintworm Are you sure for the Sri Lankan leopards ? Until now they had "african hybrid" but no Sri Lankan. Where were they in the park ?
Regarding fencing, this is a big problem in this zoo. For a long time vervet monkeys were locked up in their house because they were always escaped. The same four years ago for my last visit with guereza that were running out of their island... near young children. Could have been an horror
sooty mangabey
Well-Known Member
It is interesting that the amateur feel of Reynou is picked up on here. This was exactly my response to the place. I liked it, mostly, but couldn’t help feeling that it looked as if it was being run on good intentions rather than scientific expertise.