ZooParc de Beauval Zooparc de Beauval news 2025

Currently the only ones outside Asia, no?
Indeed.

Otherwise, Beauval will display for its 45th anniversary an exposition of animal sculptures made by the artist Michel Bassompierre (who has already made a sculpture of the Giant Pandas HUAN HUAN and YUAN MENG for Beauval).
Called "Fragile colosses" (Fragile Giants), these sculptures represent various animals (Brown and Polar Bears, Gorillas, Penguins...) and will be displayed near the bird aviaries of the Southern entrance during most of this year.
1.3K views · 442 reactions | Venez admirer la beauté animale à Beauval | Du 5 avril au 12 novembre 2025, les sculptures monumentales du sculpteur animalier Michel BASSOMPIERRE élisent domicile au cœur du ZooParc de Beauval.... | By Zoo de Beauval | Facebook
 
Some small news:
  • In the dome, the work in the tomistoma pond is finished and the animals are back again, the two wood bridges are almost finished. Also I saw a new species for me, red-crested turaco (didn't see in the dome but yes in the "serre des gorilles"
For regular visitors, do you know which time of the day is better for see active the tamandua?

I've already seen these Turacos in the past (around 2021) in the Dome, these birds may have been present there all this time but they are very shy ; the best place to see them (as well as most birds) is from the upper walkway, near the waterfall after the Pygmy Hippos.

The Tamanduas are supposed to be more active at dusk, but they have remained practically a no-show for me (at best I see a black and yellowish furball on the top of a tree...).
 
The rock hyraxes no longer appear on the zoo’s website, I'm afraid that the species is no longer planned for the dodoma rocks
Les Rocs de Dodoma sortent de terre ! - Beauval Actus
The opening of this zone has been delayed, at least for a few weeks.
It's likely that it will open without the Hyraxes, that would be added later.
(Now there isn't any animal displayed in this zone, while the other species are already in Beauval's collections for many years the Hyraxes would be the only "true" addition, given their increase within European zoos in the recent past, the supply isn't supposed to be a real problem)
 
I went in Beauval today. Because of the rainy weather, I spent most of my time in the greenhouses (Bird, Primate/Vivarium, Australian) and didn't see the works in the future "Rocs de Dodoma" area. Nonetheless I managed to see the Prairie Dogs and their enclosure, its size didn't look too small for an all-female group (that is actually for now).

Otherwise I noticed various changes :
  • I've seen a Hooded Vulture chick in the Bird Nursery (hatched on Apr. 10th)
  • In the Bird House I've seen 1 Hill Myna and 2 Red-whiskered Bulbuls in free flight ; both were displayed there in the past but I haven't seen them for many years
  • There's a single Cape Barren Goose in the Crane/Stork plain
  • One of the indoor enclosures of the Tamarin/Marmoset row (Primate house) indicated "Coppery Titi Monkeys" (not seen) but instead I spotted a single Geoffroy's Marmoset (it isn't the first time I can see an unnoticed mammal species in Beauval, without any signage nor public announcement : the first being the Beisa Oryx, in late 2014...)
  • Various changes in the Vivarium : the Green Tree Python has been replaced by a young Philippine Sailfin Lizard ; there's signage about a new species, the Psychedelic Rock Gecko Cnemaspis psychedelica from Vietnam and Endangered (but not seen...) ; no more Plumed Basilisks in the Central American terrarium ; the Red-footed Tortoises are now mixed with Cotton-top Tamarins plus the pair of White-faced Sakis
  • In the marine section of the Australian Greenhouse there are now Banggai Cardinalfish and one Parrotfish in the largest tank, and no more Trumpetfish in the Seahorse tank.
 
Could someone visiting Beauval in the near future please try and ask about the breeding situation with the African Elephant herd? Current bull Akili arrived nearly 4 and a half years ago in November 2020, the first at the zoo since the death of Limbo in 2017, who arrived in 2003 from Longleat along with the original 4 (now 3) females.
Nearly 2 years ago, a video was posted on the Beauval Nature Instagram account stating that they intended to breed from N'Dala (Longleat, had one previous birth in 2012 at Beauval), Ashanti (Knowsley, born 2003 with no previous offspring) and Tana (Knowsley, a successful birth in 2003 and a stillborn in 2007). It was stated that matings had been observed and if this didn't work than AI (artificial insemination) would be tried.
I would be interested to know if any progress has been made and what the plan is moving forwards. Hopefully it works out for one or two of the cows as they are all very genetically valuable and Beauval have a nice sized herd, which also represents the last experience with the species of two major British safari parks with half of the females having arrived from Longleat and the other half from Knowsley.
 
Could someone visiting Beauval in the near future please try and ask about the breeding situation with the African Elephant herd? Current bull Akili arrived nearly 4 and a half years ago in November 2020, the first at the zoo since the death of Limbo in 2017, who arrived in 2003 from Longleat along with the original 4 (now 3) females.
Nearly 2 years ago, a video was posted on the Beauval Nature Instagram account stating that they intended to breed from N'Dala (Longleat, had one previous birth in 2012 at Beauval), Ashanti (Knowsley, born 2003 with no previous offspring) and Tana (Knowsley, a successful birth in 2003 and a stillborn in 2007). It was stated that matings had been observed and if this didn't work than AI (artificial insemination) would be tried.
I would be interested to know if any progress has been made and what the plan is moving forwards. Hopefully it works out for one or two of the cows as they are all very genetically valuable and Beauval have a nice sized herd, which also represents the last experience with the species of two major British safari parks with half of the females having arrived from Longleat and the other half from Knowsley.
@Rajang-GOAT, I unfortunately do not hold out much hope for the elephant herd at Beauval. I personally do think and feel the their whole management after the first promising births can be qualified as a management failure... with one wrong decision following another. IMO the adult breeding cows should have been rebred 3-4 years from their first birthing events at Knowsley. Same goes for their daughters after, .... Jeez, I do think it has been so many opportunities lost and the move out to France just made matters even worse.
 
@Rajang-GOAT, I unfortunately do not hold out much hope for the elephant herd at Beauval. I personally do think and feel the their whole management after the first promising births can be qualified as a management failure... with one wrong decision following another. IMO the adult breeding cows should have been rebred 3-4 years from their first birthing events at Knowsley. Same goes for their daughters after, .... Jeez, I do think it has been so many opportunities lost and the move out to France just made matters even worse.
It is indeed unfortunate that many opportunities for the first and second generation Knowsley cows were missed out on over the years. The move to Beauval did make things even more complicated in some ways, with the tragic loss of Nala during transport and the fact that they didn't have access to a breeding bull until over three years after their arrival (thanks to the unfortunate loss of Limbo and Covid).
In total the Knowsley herd (including Tana, Juba and Ashanti currently at Beauval) didn't have access to a mature breeding bull from when Kruger left the safari park in October 2006 to when Akili arrived at the zoo in November 2020. If the zoo find themselves with a herd of six non-breeding middle aged/youngish cows, this is probably something that could could be looked towards as the reason, without putting the blame on anyone directly (especially without knowing the full story).
For now, all hope is not lost as Ashanti is fairly young at 22 years old, but time is of the essence and the future of this group as a breeding herd hangs in the balance, as well as the valuable matrilines it contains.
 
The rock hyraxes are now on display but in « La Terre des Lions », they lives in the big terrarium near the naked mole rats. It seem that we’ll not see them the the « rocs de Dodoma » with the dik-diks, porcupines and mongooses
Nouvelle espèce à découvrir : le daman des Rochers ! - Beauval Actus
Given the modest size of this terrarium (okay for small to medium reptiles, but not for Hyraxes, especially if they breed), the housing of the Rock Hyraxes in the Lion tunnel looks temporary, waiting for the "Rocs de Dodoma" opening.

About the Elephants, I wonder why French zoos have poor performances for African Éléphants breeding until now. Especially when one consider the recent successes of Spanish, Dutch... parks.
Out of Beauval, the only breeding successes I can remember took place in Sigean (that has ceased to display Elephants for years, in spite of an ideal environment) and perhaps (?) Thoiry.
 
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