Hi We are a family of zoo enthusiasts from the UK who have booked a long weekend in France in mid June. What is the best zoo to visit in Normandy? Is it CERZA or Jurques. Awkwardly we are staying in St Valery sur Somme near Abbeville, so the distance may not allow us to fit both in. Please let me know if there is a Picardy zoo that we have overlooked. Any advice welcomed.
Being to Jurques myself, I would rate it as average. Purely from the pictures from the gallery I think CERZA would be better
CERZA Lisieux, the larger facility (consequently more species) is probably the more interesting zoo. Having said that the zoo landscape in France is changing fast for the better, so Zoo de la Cabosse - JURQUES may well be a gem I have yet to discover/see for myself.
In the latest edition of Zoo Grapevine, the magazine of the IZES, there is an article about two zoos in Normandy and one in Picardy: Cleres, Biotropica and Amiens. Of the two you mention, I'd say both we're quite British in flavour: inexpensive enclosures, a bit scruffy in places, some good ideas. Neither is outstanding, but both are pretty good. Jurques can easily be combined with a trip to Champrepus, about half an hour away (I think); this has a very mainstream collection, but that collection is beautifully presented.
Thanks for the advice so far. I think for this trip it will be easier to fit in CERZA, but I did not know about some of the other zoos mentioned so I would probably try to fit them in to another trip especially if I find a base around the Granville area.
