Again another major zoo, or maybe a once major zoo without a thread here so again i thought i would start one. The zoo has undergone a change of image over the past few years, with recent troubles mirroring the problems at Regents park, the former zoo has rebranded itself as the Bioparc, with new enclosures for the likes of the brown bears, and sending animals in unsuitable enclosres away such as their last female black rhino to Port Lympne (where she died a few years back), and their bull African elephant Calimero to Beekse Bergen. Looking at the website i can pick of a few new arrivals a male Asiatic lion from the Lodz zoo in Poland and a female from the Czech republic. A male Persian leopard arrived last year from Beauval. Famed for their breeding groups of Nile lechwe and African hunting dog, hopefully the bioparco will have a brighter future. Has anyone visited the bioparco or have any info?
I visited the zoo of Rome before its temporary shut-down and transformation into the BioParco. Back then, it was quite an awful zoo (with entrance fees depended the body size of the visitor (???) and a rather odd guide book). Therefore, I'd be also interested in any information about its current status. Or maybe I should visit Rome again...
I too visited this zoo back in 2001 (actually it was the day before 9/11). It was fairly big, but not all that great. I didn't see anything "terrible" there, just a lot of old grotto exhibits. I'll need to go back and re-watch my video of the visit, but nothing stands out in my memory. I don't remember any significant rare species. Obviously, Italy isn't a major zoo nation. Go there for art, history, and food, but not for zoos.
I went about 5 years ago and thought the zoo was not bad at all. I am usually very critical and found Barcelona zoo a disgrace. The new chimp, bear and several other animal exhibits were excellent. Most the hoovestock and monkey cages were adequate and I remember several good canine cages. However the elephant cage was a bit like London's old one, the Japanese Macaque modern cage was severely over crowded and the asiatic black bear cages (grottos) were far too small despite being well planted. The zoo definitely showed signs that it was improving.
Also the pair of gorillas Romina,(born in Rome) & Bobby (w/c) were sent to Bristol Zoo in 2001(Bobby later being exchanged to London where he died) I believe someone from London Zoo took over for a while and was responsible for a lot of these changes. I went there some years ago when the pair of Gorillas were still at Rome. The Ape House was very dark and oldfashioned with traditional barred cages. I believe they still have the hybrid Orangutans but not sure if that horrible old house is still in use. Bear enclosures were also awful- the worst I've seen- just tiny barred boxes and I'm very glad to hear that has been changed. Hunting dogs; lived in a pretty ordinary sand floored pen. Some nice Botanical interest but generally a very old fashioned 'menagerie' feel. WARNING; Like many other tourist attractions in Rome, it was closed on one day a week for no apparent reason, I think it was Tuesdays so check if you are going that if this still exists, you don't pick the wrong day.
bioparco i went in bioparco in october 2006 after the big trasfomation (i went also in old Giardino zoologico many years ago): very good new exhibits for brown bears, giraffes, asian lions.
Doug Richardson was instrumental in building or renovating all of the said exhibits above. I am curious as to current management (Gloria Svampa Garibaldi has also left ???). Any takers?
bioparco I don't have pics at the moment. I think Gloria Svampa is still there, i remember tv animal's programs last year whit her presence as zoological museum director.
I saw in Womens Day (My mum reads it and showed me the picture ) that their first zebra foal in 10 years was born recentley.
Can anybody provides me information about the arrival to Bioparco of "Pipa" young common hippo female arrived from Bioparc Valencia 2-3 weeks ago? It´s she on display now? Many thanks!
Been acouple of times although my last visit was about 4 years ago.The zoo itself reminds me so much of London-situated in a corner of a park with a subway connecting the 2 halves of the zoo.The Bioparco is worth a visit if you do find yourself in the fantastic city of Rome.The bears,chimps,lions,wolves and reptiles are all housed in excellent facilities with the only dissapointments being the tiger grottoes and the absolutely dilapidated elephant house.Elsewhere the hoofstock is housed in enclosures with a typical Southern European style like Madrid or Barcelona ie mainly flat and sandy. Bioparco is very close to developing into a solid small urban zoo.
Some historical notes seem useful, considering that very little is known abroad concerning the development of the Giardino Zoologico in Rome. First consider that the masterplan was done by Carl Hagenbeck himself just four years before his death. At the time of its opening in 1911, Hagenbeck's phylosophy was probably more fully expressed in Rome rather than Stellingen. In the 1930's the zoo changed considerably to accomodate a greater number of species, at the end to compete with the major zoos in Europe such as Berlin, Amsterdam, London. Five hectares were added in 1935 with a major aviary and a large reptile house. It also serves as model for the new zoo in Vincennes (Paris). Subsequently, the zoo was not able to follow major trends of the zoo world owing to the lack of interest and funds allocated by the Municipality (this also mean the zoo never had bathroom like cages as many 'major' zoos abroad). However, despite its traditional appearence, even in the very difficult 1980's, the zoo reached remarkably results in the breeding of species such as pigmy hippo, Nile lechwe, white-crowned mangabey, African hunting dog, maned wolf. Despite the major new exhibits realised in the last decade, the contribution to breeding programs seems to have fallen considerably. It is also a pity that an Hagenbeck exhibit as the Arctic Panorama has been transformed in a pool for children.
Hi colobus, Any chance of an up-date on current projects or new births at Bioparco? What is planned for 2010 or beyond? K.B.
Hi K.B. I do not knows details concerning future plans; possibly someone in Amsterdam that recenly visited the Bioparco knows more! I heard about an outdoor area for orangs and there are plans for an aquaria. Personally, I found the lack of a long-term plan quite depressing, even considering the next year will make the zoo Centenarian. There have been a few recent births (zebra, giraffe, tapir), but nothing really exciting. The press wrote about a 'national' role for the Bioparco, but what this really means nobody knows.
I visited briefly just before christmas, and apart from the births colobus has mentioned, the japanese macaques and the mandrills seem to be breeding well. Baby wallabies and lemurs were also advertised. There was a young Dwarf crocodile in the reptile house, I couldn't tell how old it was but it was clearly far from adulthood - it was probably a total of 40-50cm long. The series of cat cages (for leopards, pumas etc.) were cordoned off and there was work taking place on the road outside. It seemed like they might just be resurfacing the road, but hopefully this is just a step towards improving the cages. A keeper told me that they were planning on renovating the tiger grottos, but they aren't sure when exactly.
I am hopefully visiting Rome Zoo in the summer and maybe Falconora Zoo aswell. Any tips for me and are they both worth visiting?
Bioparco is definitely worth a visit, but I've never been to Falconara, so I can't really say. I asked Maguari for tips on Bioparco and he posted a very useful list in the comments of this photo: http://www.zoochat.com/701/pygmy-hippo-exhibit-bioparco-rome-15-a-116639/ I'm very far behind on uploading photos, but should hopefully get round to posting Rome's soon. Meantime, if you have any particular questions, feel free to PM me.
