Paris Trip Summer 2025

zoogeekmaelstrom

zoogeekmaelstrom

Well-Known Member
This will be a thread discussing about my zoological summer trip to Paris. Currently, I am only planning to visit zoos, not aquariums, and since it's a family trip, the number of zoos will be limited. Here are my confirmed visits:

Jardin Des Plantes Menagerie
Parc Zoologique De Paris

Here are my must-sees:
Crowned Sifaka
Antillean Manatee
Clouded Leopard
Tasmanian Devil
Dusky Pademelon
Central Chinese Goral
Lowland Anoa
Indian Gaur
Arabian Oryx
Palm Nut Vulture
Houbara Bustard
Little Bustard
Darwin's Rhea
Sunbittern
Ocellated Skink
Guadalupan Anole

I hope that I will be able to see these species and others that have not been put on this list. If there are any tips or other zoo suggestions, feel free to comment them down below.
 
zoogeekmaelstrom said:
This will be a thread discussing about my zoological summer trip to Paris. Currently, I am only planning to visit zoos, not aquariums, and since it's a family trip, the number of zoos will be limited. Here are my confirmed visits:

Jardin Des Plantes Menagerie
Parc Zoologique De Paris

Here are my must-sees:
Crowned Sifaka
Antillean Manatee
Clouded Leopard
Tasmanian Devil
Dusky Pademelon
Central Chinese Goral
Lowland Anoa
Indian Gaur
Arabian Oryx
Palm Nut Vulture
Houbara Bustard
Little Bustard
Darwin's Rhea
Sunbittern
Ocellated Skink
Guadalupan Anole

I hope that I will be able to see these species and others that have not been put on this list. If there are any tips or other zoo suggestions, feel free to comment them down below.
Click to expand...
I have just returned this week from visiting both of these collections - I spent a day at Parc Zoologique de Paris and one and a half days at Jardin des Plantes (We had time to kill before our flight so managed to sneak in a second day as it was relatively close to our hotel).

You shouldn't have a problem seeing most, if not all of these species as I saw all of these aside from the anole. The Tasmanian devils maybe a little harder to spot, however, I saw both individuals at Jardin des Plantes at the back of their respective paddocks. Jardin des Plantes (IMO) feels much more like a zoo, the history behind it and the heritage you can see around the site. The current felid house and the primate house at Jardin des Plantes although, outdated and in need of a revamp and extension, are proper zoo buildings and a throwback.

The hoofstock at both sites are to be admired, Jardin des Plantes have a better variety of Asian hoofstock taxa whilst at Zoologique de Paris, is a solid selection of African hoofstock. Zoologique de Paris also hold the only Chilean cougar outside of South America.
 
zoogeekmaelstrom said:
This will be a thread discussing about my zoological summer trip to Paris. Currently, I am only planning to visit zoos, not aquariums, and since it's a family trip, the number of zoos will be limited. Here are my confirmed visits:

Jardin Des Plantes Menagerie
Parc Zoologique De Paris

Here are my must-sees:
Crowned Sifaka
Antillean Manatee
Clouded Leopard
Tasmanian Devil
Dusky Pademelon
Central Chinese Goral
Lowland Anoa
Indian Gaur
Arabian Oryx
Palm Nut Vulture
Houbara Bustard
Little Bustard
Darwin's Rhea
Sunbittern
Ocellated Skink
Guadalupan Anole

I hope that I will be able to see these species and others that have not been put on this list. If there are any tips or other zoo suggestions, feel free to comment them down below.
Click to expand...

The houbara are Asian houbara or MacQueen's bustard, not African houbara, just so you know. Equally cool though and very easy to see there.
 
zoogeekmaelstrom said:
This will be a thread discussing about my zoological summer trip to Paris. Currently, I am only planning to visit zoos, not aquariums, and since it's a family trip, the number of zoos will be limited. Here are my confirmed visits:

Jardin Des Plantes Menagerie
Parc Zoologique De Paris

Here are my must-sees:
Crowned Sifaka
Antillean Manatee
Clouded Leopard
Tasmanian Devil
Dusky Pademelon
Central Chinese Goral
Lowland Anoa
Indian Gaur
Arabian Oryx
Palm Nut Vulture
Houbara Bustard
Little Bustard
Darwin's Rhea
Sunbittern
Ocellated Skink
Guadalupan Anole

I hope that I will be able to see these species and others that have not been put on this list. If there are any tips or other zoo suggestions, feel free to comment them down below.
Click to expand...

Sounds great! There are a few more places around Paris which are worth a visit but given your time constraints etc. none of them make too much sense for you I don't think.

Manatee, pademelon, goral, anoa, gaur, oryx, vulture, both bustards, rhea and skink should be very easy. Sifaka is normally fine but towards the end of the day they tend to hide so maybe go there first? Clouded leopard is normally indoors in one of the baskets, so back away from the glass and normally you can see a tail hanging out. Devils are very variable, saw one of them really excellently (right up to glass) one time but otherwise they've been no-shows or fleeting sightings. Sunbittern is in the greenhouse but should be manageable, and anole is tough to find but if you give it a little bit of time it's normally eventually visible.

On a side note the menagerie is tiny and takes a couple of hours to go around probably, whereas the zoo is three to five or so in my experience? They're both nice places but they aren't exactly trailblazers in exhibitry for the most part, for different reasons (or rather the Menagerie was, but 200 years ago... :P). It won't be near Europe's best but hopefully you'll enjoy them and Paris more generally all the same! I'd recommend also going to the Grande Galerie de l'Evolution next door to the menagerie, it is excellent!
 
TeaLovingDave said:
An elderly offshow singleton, to clarify.

The onshow animals are generic.
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Interesting, wasn't aware they held generic and Chilean - a shame, although this means I shall have to update my lifelists as I have them listed as Chilean! :D

amur leopard said:
Sounds great! There are a few more places around Paris which are worth a visit but given your time constraints etc. none of them make too much sense for you I don't think.

Manatee, pademelon, goral, anoa, gaur, oryx, vulture, both bustards, rhea and skink should be very easy. Sifaka is normally fine but towards the end of the day they tend to hide so maybe go there first? Clouded leopard is normally indoors in one of the baskets, so back away from the glass and normally you can see a tail hanging out. Devils are very variable, saw one of them really excellently (right up to glass) one time but otherwise they've been no-shows or fleeting sightings. Sunbittern is in the greenhouse but should be manageable, and anole is tough to find but if you give it a little bit of time it's normally eventually visible.

On a side note the menagerie is tiny and takes a couple of hours to go around probably, whereas the zoo is three to five or so in my experience? They're both nice places but they aren't exactly trailblazers in exhibitry for the most part, for different reasons (or rather the Menagerie was, but 200 years ago... :p). It won't be near Europe's best but hopefully you'll enjoy them and Paris more generally all the same! I'd recommend also going to the Grande Galerie de l'Evolution next door to the menagerie, it is excellent!
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I also second this, the clouded leopard were both active towards the end of the day on the first visit I did (1st May), it's actually the first time I have seen this species active at all. The Grande Galerie de l'Evolution is superb as is the Galerie de Paleontologie which is also nearby. A small tip, I believe if you're under the age of twenty-six you are given free entry into both of these.
 
amur leopard said:
I'd recommend also going to the Grande Galerie de l'Evolution next door to the menagerie, it is excellent!
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Baringogiraffe12 said:
The Grande Galerie de l'Evolution is superb as is the Galerie de Paleontologie which is also nearby
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I concur with @amur leopard and @Baringogiraffe12. The Zoological Museum galleries near the Jardin des Plantes Menagerie are well worth seeing too. They are:
  • Grande Galerie de l'Evolution
  • Galerie de Paléontologie et d'Anatomie Comparée
 
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Hello! How many days are you going to be? Do you have in mind visit other cities appart of Paris?

Thoiry is a really nice zoo, very interesting for not-zoo freaks
 
Could either of you take a photo of which bird species are signed in the tropical greenhouse? Will help me out when I visit in August
 
Benobo88 said:
Could either of you take a photo of which bird species are signed in the tropical greenhouse? Will help me out when I visit in August
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I have done so - without seeing your request. A keeper was writing in the numbers of each species soon after I arrived. The first aviary inside has its own sign for new species arrived from Guiana this year including blue-backed manakin and blue dachnis, some (at least) are on ZTL, but it was difficult to photograph those small birds in a fairly large aviary.

Baringogiraffe12 said:
Enjoy both of you - I do like Vincennes, but, the history and heritage of Jardin des Plantes cannot be beaten in my mind! :p
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I can't fault your logic, but the weather is due to get hotter again this week, so I decided to do the bigger zoo in rather cooler conditions. And I haven't seen Vincennes since it was rebuilt, and I particularly wanted to photograph the manatees (the only photo in my collection shows 2 nostrils and a lettuce leaf; it was taken 50 years ago in Amsterdam).
 
Baringogiraffe12 said:
Interesting, wasn't aware they held generic and Chilean - a shame, although this means I shall have to update my lifelists as I have them listed as Chilean! :D
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So have I! :eek: @TeaLovingDave do you, or anyone else know how many they originally had and at what point the last one went offshow? My visit was in July 2018 and I wonder if there is any chance I did see a Chilean...

For the record, I also cannot recommend the Galerie de Paléontologie et d'Anatomie Comparée enough! Some fascinating mounts that are quite hard to come by in natural history museums (Sarcosuchus, for example). Still can't believe I turned down the opportunity to visit the Grande Galerie de l'Evolution as that place looks amazing.
 
Kalaw said:
So have I! :eek: @TeaLovingDave do you, or anyone else know how many they originally had and at what point the last one went offshow? My visit was in July 2018 and I wonder if there is any chance I did see a Chilean...
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They only ever had the one Chilean - I don't know when it went offshow, but I do know that it arrived in 2015 and *was* onshow originally.
 
gentle lemur said:
I have done so - without seeing your request. A keeper was writing in the numbers of each species soon after I arrived. The first aviary inside has its own sign for new species arrived from Guiana this year including blue-backed manakin and blue dachnis, some (at least) are on ZTL, but it was difficult to photograph those small birds in a fairly large aviary.
Click to expand...

Could you upload your photo to gallery, wanting to know which species to try spot in that huge greenhouse as I missed the sign last time I went.
 
Benobo88 said:
Could you upload your photo to gallery, wanting to know which species to try spot in that huge greenhouse as I missed the sign last time I went.
Click to expand...
I'm sorry to have taken so long to sort this out: I arrived back from Paris with more than 5000 photos from collections in Belgium and France, so I have had a lot to sort out, before I could start processing and then I had previously promised @Pertinax some images from Pairi Daiza, so they had to come first.
This is the list of birds in the Tropical Greenhouse (to use its English name). The sun shining through the foliage caused some problems but I think it's legible.
Tropical Greenhouse - free-flying bird list

Tropical Greenhouse - free-flying bird list

  • Media owner gentle lemur
  • Date added
  • Comments 2
This is the list of the new species in the separate aviary to the right of the entrance.
Tropical Greenhouse - new arrivals list

Tropical Greenhouse - new arrivals list

  • Media owner gentle lemur
  • Date added
  • Comments 3
Finally this is the list of the species in the Great Aviary.
Great Aviary - bird list

Great Aviary - bird list

  • Media owner gentle lemur
  • Date added
  • Comments 3
I wish these were better quality images, but I think they may help you.
 
gentle lemur said:
I'm sorry to have taken so long to sort this out: I arrived back from Paris with more than 5000 photos from collections in Belgium and France, so I have had a lot to sort out, before I could start processing and then I had previously promised @Pertinax some images from Pairi Daiza, so they had to come first.
This is the list of birds in the Tropical Greenhouse (to use its English name). The sun shining through the foliage caused some problems but I think it's legible.
Tropical Greenhouse - free-flying bird list

Tropical Greenhouse - free-flying bird list

  • Media owner gentle lemur
  • Date added
  • Comments 2
This is the list of the new species in the separate aviary to the right of the entrance.
Tropical Greenhouse - new arrivals list

Tropical Greenhouse - new arrivals list

  • Media owner gentle lemur
  • Date added
  • Comments 3
Finally this is the list of the species in the Great Aviary.
Great Aviary - bird list

Great Aviary - bird list

  • Media owner gentle lemur
  • Date added
  • Comments 3
I wish these were better quality images, but I think they may help you.
Click to expand...

Gosh 5000 photos is an awful lot of editing, I don't envy you! Thanks very much for these photos, they'll be very helpful
 
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