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Paris Zoo
05-09-2007

This summer i visited the Paris Vinnecess Zoo. All though not all the enclosures were brilliant, there was a general nice feelin around the zoo. I noticed mant empty enclosures and the lack of large animals such as elephants and big cats.

On the nternet later i read up that the zoo was planning a large master plan because of falling visitir numbers. Could anyone tell me how the plans are looking at the moment, what species are planned and stuff like that

Thanks in advance.

05-09-2007

Paris Vincennes Zoo will be themed around .. different eco-types and re-open sometime in 2011.

This was the original outing in December 2005. It has since been put back a coupe of years due to funding problems.

Quote: "The Zoo of Paris needs renovation. In May 2005 interdisciplinary teams were called by the zoo's authority, the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, to apply for the design of a masterplan for the Zoo of Paris. On 2 December 2005 a jury of officials of Paris zoo, Paris city and the department of the natural history museum decided in favour of the project by the team of TN+. The Paris based landscape architects Bruno Tenant and Jean-Christophe Nani (TN+) had two zoo specialists on their team: Jean-Mark Lernould, former director of Mulhouse Zoo and chairman of CEPA, an organization for the protection of endangered species, and Monika Fiby, zoo consultant, zoo designer and project manager of the ZooLex Zoo Design Organization from Austria. The project of TN+ was chosen for its qualities in landscape architecture, education and conservation. The animals exhibited will represent biodiversity and serve as ambassadors for in-situ conservation projects.

The teams participating in the competition were required to include specialists in the fields of landscape architecture, architecture, zoology, urbanism, tourism, scenography, green building and engineering. In May 2005 six out of several dozens of teams were chosen by the awarding authority, the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, to present their approach to the task described in the call. Three of them were retained to develop a masterplan for the renovation of Paris Zoo. The three assigned teams were TN+, Ellipse and Architecture Studio, the first being a Paris based landscape architecture firm, the two others being French architecture firms. The only specialists in the teams from abroad were Jacques Prescott, a zoologist from Canada who was hired by Ellipse and Monika Fiby, a zoo designer from Austria who was hired by TN+. Paris zoo was opened in 1934 on 14.5 hectares in the park of Bois de Vincennes. Its landmark is an artificial rock of 67 meters - "le grand rocher". Architect Letrosne was strongly influenced by Hagenbeck's zoo in Hamburg when he designed "a theater stage in concrete, a stylish landscape, wild and spectacular, but overtly artificial." The project of TN+ turned the zoo into a diverse landscape in which the historic rocks play their roles. They are part of the landscape and hide all the buildings. Zoo visitors will enter the zoo through a gorge and explore six biozones from various levels - "le zoo ÃÂ* étages" - European mountains, African rainforest, African savannah, the spiny forest of Madagascar, a South American wetland, and Patagonia. Animals will be displayed as representatives of their wild habitats. Vegetation therefore plays an important role in this project. Ecological kiosks build the transition between the biozones. They offer interpretation of the previous experience and education about the biozone just visited. The kiosks and several tropic halls around the zoo offer protection from climatic inconveniences during the seasons. The "grand rocher" will accommodate a panorama restaurant, movies and conferences. Estimates for the renovation are around 135 million Euro. In October 2005, prime minister Dominique de Villepin listed Paris Zoo among 35 public private partnership projects that are aspired by the government. Opening of the renovated Paris Zoo is planned for 2008." unquote

08-11-2007

And I can tell you it will surely not be opened for 2008...
No money and, worst of all, lack of good ideas... First master plan was more like a dream and could not become reality...
What a pity that Paris, one of the most visited cities in the world, doesn't have a decent zoo!

09-11-2007

Pedro,

It must be painful being a Parisien?!

I just can not understand that the Paris Council first approves the plan and then loses interest and does not show any commitment to following it through. With the Louvre, Jeu de Paumes, Sacre Coeur, Pere Lachaise, Montmartre and its parques zoologiques Vincennes and Jardin des Plantes it offers so much in way of cultural and natural heritage.

I blame the Paris Council for lack of vision in the zoo stakes!

10-11-2007

Yeah, and most of all for lack of clairvoyance!! It was obvious that this project was way too expensive to be an immediate success as planned! They're now thinking of renovating part by part and maybe be a little less inovative and ambitious...
But anyways, Paris is only a few hours away from many great zoos (such as Artis, Burger's, Blijdorp, Antwerp, London and many more...) so I can still see some very nice animals!

19-11-2007

Once there was the rumour that the zoo would (temporarily) close to make renovation easier. Is that gonna happen or is it still opend?
Do you know anything of the new plans? I saw the original drawings, that was so amazing... such a shame thats not gonna happen...

19-11-2007

It's still open for now... Nobody has a clear idea about anything that may happen soon or later... Will it close down, what will they do with the current exhibits, will the animals remain inside the zoo or will be sent elsewhere... when will it open again... will there be one day a project... for now Paris' zoo future remains pretty foggy.

03-01-2008

Hello Pedro,

I just read on another thread in the site that some sifakas have arrived at Belfast Zoo. This new group of 2.2 is rumoured to be expecting a baby sifaka in 2008 too!

Mulhouse Zoo have also recently received a pair (I guess also from the big breeding group at Paris Vincennes) judging by the ISIS records for December 2007. , Besancon hold the second breeding group (if one does not yet count the Belfast group as these are still under 6-month quarantine).

Whereas I do applaud that more European zoos are now coming into sifakas Propithecus ssp., I can not help but wonder what the status of the Paris Vincennes collection will be.

Do you know why the Paris Vincennes Zoo is now so keen to distribute so many of its crowned sifakas P. verreauxi coronatus to other European zoos?

Is Paris Vincennes Zoo going ahead with its sifaka breeding center? Are fresh imports from Madagascar to be expected to infuse new unrelated genetic lines into the European zoo population?

What about in situ and in country conservation links? Is Paris Vincennes Zoo involved in Madagascan conservation projects (with the reknowned Museum national d'Histoire naturelle so close I guess that the have these linkages)?

Appreciate all your info.

And, a Happy New Year,

Jelle

03-01-2008

Jelle, I don`t think Mulhouse recieved their pair "recently" - they must be there at least a year, probably longer if I remember right. According to ISIS, Paris still holds 3.3 animals, so they are not phasing them out. The last time I checked ISIS on sifakas Paris had 6.4, so the 3.1 in Belfast have already been substracted from the list.

03-01-2008

I Saw at least 5 animals this summer and they were one of the popular animals that after going around the entire zoo were the species people wanted to see. I Hope the Sifakas stay at Paris.

Also does anyone know if Paris Vincennes Zoo still has Okapis, Meerkats and Coatis??

They were on the map but we went round and round and were unable to find them, the enclosure with okapi labeled held Capabara (mistaken for a sheep by a visitor).

03-01-2008

Thanx Yassa,

To my knowledge - I am pretty certain of that - Mulhouse's pair have only just been listed in ISIS. So, I naturally assumed that it must have been in the last couple of months. So, not so ... (can you tell me where you got the Mulhouse info from).

So, the double pair at Belfast is a 3.1 (that clears up another issue). So, I had not been dreaming about 6.4 at Paris Vincennes till just recently.

Leaves my queries to Pedro regarding conservation work in Madagascar and getting some new founders for the crowned sifakas in Europe (now that they have become more firmly established and more zoos have experience of maintaining the species successfully).

I think positively that Paris Vincennes Zoo should focus itself exhibitting endangered species from several eco-types and on conservation extension work in these. The crowned sifakas would in this framework serve as a major drawcard and focus for conservation work in their native habitat on north western Madagascar (the total population is between an estimated 100-1000 individuals). The subspecies is listed under IUCN as critically endangered.

The captive population already is as an important backup. With more and new unrelated founders the captive population can become more robust. It could also help with setting up a protected area for the species (IUCN does not list any for them).

04-01-2008

Like you, I am checking ISIS regularly, and I am very sure that Mulhouse`s pair of sifakas has always been in the list since I started checking ISIS for sifakas more then a year ago. They didn`t come from Paris recently; I remember that when I started checking ISIS, Paris had 4.4 sifakas. Then the 2 males were born last spring (approx.) and they had 6.4. Now down to 3.3 because of the transfer to Belfast.

05-01-2008

Hi Jelle!
Concerning the sifakas in Paris zoo, I have absolutely no idea of what they'll do with it. Paris Zoo has a new director and she (yeah, she's a lady) plans to get rid of most of the animals in the park to start re-building as soon as possible... I'll try to get infos about sifakas, if they'll stay in the park or move to another zoo temporarily.
Concerning Mulhouse, I first visited the zoo in july 2006 and the sifakas were already there, cohabitating with Alaotran gentle lemurs.

05-01-2008

There isnt really that much to get rid of in the first place

05-01-2008

Girafes, Oryx, Zebras, hippos, cattle, axis, wolfes, wallabies, nilghai, blackbuck, monkeys, lemurs ...