kerouac

After being closed for renovation since 2008, the Paris zoo finally reopened in April 2014. Just about everything was changed from the original zoo which opened in the Bois de Vincennes in 1934, because the whole concept of how a zoo should be has changed since then. Every effort has been made to make the animals feel comfortable, something that nobody really cared about in the old days. Animals that need a large territory are no longer present, so you won't see elephants or bears at the zoo anymore. (If those happen to be your favorite animals, there will always be the Thoiry safari park and zoo ( https://www.thoiry.net/en ) in the suburbs where you can see them.) In fact, the new Paris zoo makes it very clear that you might be frustrated if you are impatient, because the animals can hide if they feel like it. Nevertheless, there are many different viewpoints from which to see the animals, so most of them can be seen with no difficulty, even if they have moved to an obscure corner.

I made a report about the zoo just before it opened and also this week when I finally visited after giving everything a chance to settle down a bit. It still needs a bit of settling (and growth of vegetation), but I found the new zoo to be quite excellent anyway. Particularly if you are bringing children to Paris, it should be added to your agenda.

Here is my report about it: http://tinyurl.com/pariszoo

gardendiva

Beautiful report. Thank you for sharing. No matter how old I get, I still enjoy the zoo. Thankfully I have the opportunity to visit our local zoo frequently and I can go when there are not too many screaming kids.

MaineGG

Another wonderful report. I am a life-long lover of zoos and will certainly plan to visit the Parc Zoologique the next time I'm in Paris. Love your photos of the lizards and many of the birds. I do wonder if the high admission prices discourage local families from frequent visits. Many zoos here offer reasonably priced family memberships that make it possible for families to enjoy the zoo regularly. I wonder if that's available for the PZ.

It's always such a pleasure to come to the forum and find one of your reports. Please keep them coming!

Judy

Great report! Always looking for unique things to do in Paris. Thanks.

Bellarosa70032

Kerouac, your reports are always so informative that you make me want to go to all the places you've been. Alas, there's usually not enough time to cover everything.

I consider what you do here a great service. It makes me want to go back to France again next year, but I just booked a trip to Berlin/Prague/Vienna for March. Oh, well, Paris and Nice will be the next trip!