Yesterday (July 5th '08) I decided to visit the 'Jardin Zoologique de Lille' in France. It's a free zoo for everyone. There is no impressive animal collection and there are no spectacular exhibits. Some pictures made that day: There is a big mixed exhibit for White Rhinoceros, zebra's and antilopes wich is quit nice! There also is a kind of a reptile building with snakes (common snakes like anaconda's), Aldabra Giant Tortoise (with a sleepy cat in the exhibit from somewhere out of town ). In the same building there are different kinds of monkeys: Pygmy Marmosets, Emperor Tamarins, White-lipped Tamarins.
Near the entrance there's a very mixed gallery of animals: Binturongs, Coati's, Snowy Owls, Ara's, Meerkats, Yellow Mongooses, Porcupines... When you're around it's nice to visit but I wouldn't come from far especially to visit this zoo. More pics in my photo gallery! Marc Gallery - Photo Gallery
By attendance numbers, I believe this is France's most-visited zoo. But of course the Free admission is likely the main driver of that fact. From what I've seen, this seems to be France's version of NYC's Central Park Zoo -- though not quite as nice.
I visited the zoo today (02.06.13) and was very impressed. It was a fairly warm Sunday afternoon so the place was packed. I can understand why as it is free and is in a park which seems to be a very important recreational resource for the people of Lille. I got the impression that Lille has a fairly large population of people who are economically and socially disadvantaged and I think it is great that the zoo has free entry along with lots of signage and interpretive materials It is the only zoo I have ever been to with security personel wandering around but I didn't see any bad behaviour. On the contrary, most people seemed to be observing everything very closely with great interest. I could only spend about half an hour there as I went before getting the train to London and my friend really hates zoos so I had a quick look and saw almost everything. The first enclosure is a red brick and wooden fence enclosed red panda enclosure. It is nicely planted with lots of foliage and mature trees and is a typical red panda enclosure. As the pictures from Marc show there is then a path lined by traditional cages and low walled enclosures. There are no longer coatis here - their enclosure is empty and under rennovation but there are various birds including parrots, kookaburras and snowy owls, binturong, fishing cat in a nicely planted enclosure, capuchin monkeys (who are normally on a spacious island but for reasons unknown have been temporarilly moved) and saki monkeys. Meerkats have an open enclosure which is a bit tacky in design and there is a typical enclosure for crested porcupine and yellow mongoose. Parallel to this narrow avenue - which was very crowded - is a newish looking aviary style enclosure for lemurs - red and black and white ruffed and ring-tailed. It's quite attractive. At the end of this avenue is the tropical house. I didn't have time to see inside as they wisely staggared entry to avoid it getting too full but I did see two giant tortoises outside in an unspectacular walled paddock. On the end of the house is a fairly spacious aviary for great grey owl with lots of signage and educational and fun things about owls. Here you can see some of the citdel walls; the park surrounds a fortress. There are lots of large mature trees and dense foliage around the zoo which means it is a pleasure to walk around with twists and turns of the path and views of the larger enclosures through the undergrowth. An enclosure marked as housing Asian species is currently empty but at the top of the zoo is a lake with islands for white-handed gibbon, siamang and - currently elsewhere - capuchin monkeys. Also white pelicans and terrapins as well as ducks and geese. The islands are attractive with lots of branches and climbing equipment and there is lots of foliage around the edge of the path and signage placed on tree stumps which I liked. Then you come to the two larger paddocks. One for South American animals - a large paddock with alpaca, mara, capybara, lowland tapir and a fenced off 'island' in the middle for macaws which I din't like. Otherwise a fine if under landscaped space. There are a couple of side pens with emperor (from memory) and upland geese. Across the path from this is a winding and narrowish, but not too small, paddock for white rhino, eland and zebra. I wonder if smaller species might be better but it didn't seem too bad. Viewing is from above but a wide bank of foliage and a moat separates the public from the animals and you have a sense of discovery to an extent which pleasently surprised me in such a small zoo. So that's everything. It was quite a contrast to Antwerp and Blijdorp where I went on Friday - yes, I managed to do do both in one day - but it was an unexpectedly nice experience and I recommend a visit if you happen to be in Lille. Although to be honest, I'm not a huge fan of the city itself.
We have planned to visit this zoo on June 30 and this will become my first French zoo. I´ll let you know what I think about it....
Lille Zoo welcomes Ruaridh, a male red panda born in july 2020 in Edinburgh. He will join Mambo, the resident female who arrived in 2018. Pong, the previous male, died one year ago at the age of 17 ! https://www.lavoixdunord.fr/943296/...-zoo-de-lille-accueilli-un-nouveau-panda-roux
Chàm, a young pygmy slow loris born in Birmingham (UK), arrived in Lille. He will join Tavi, a young female already there.
I know Lille well but have never been to the zoo. However, I've just seen the pictures of this place in the gallery and it looks like a really nice little zoo to me.
Lar gibbon transfers : Kalaweit, a female born in the zoo in 2008 has been transfered to another zoo in France (name not given). Following her departure, the zoo a new 10 years old female called Elliot, coming from Kolmarden (Sweden). She will be paired with the male Nicolas. Other good news : birth of two pygmy slow lorises Zoo de Lille
I visited this zoo back in 2018 for the first time, and was so impressed! It's in such a nice place, the surroundings are beautiful, and the zoo itself is quite big I thought, even though it didn't really look like it from the map. I then went again in 2019. Both times payed 4€, absolute steal really for this place at the time (don't know how much it is now?).
And another birth of red pandas this year in France with 1,1 born last june 17th. Log into Facebook | Facebook
Arrival of a pair of Green Touracos. Zoo de Lille on Instagram: "Le zoo de Lille accueille un couple de touracos verts. Cette espèce vit dans les forêts d'Afrique occidentale et équatoriale.Cet oiseau est reconnaissable de par son plumage vert et sa crête érectile. La peau autour de ses yeux est rouge et est bordée de rayures blanche et noire. Le touraco n'est pas considéré en danger d'extinction mais il est menacé par la chasse et la déforestation. Retour en images : suite à la mise en contact du mâle et de la femelle nouvelle venue (qui s'est déroulée dans un espace dédié pour l'occasion), une soigneuse intègre les touracos dans la volière qu'ils partageront avec d'autres oiseaux comme les ombrettes par exemple ."
Recent birth of 2 Pygmy Slow Lorises. Zoo de Lille on Instagram: "La famille loris lent pygmée s’est agrandie avec la naissance récente de deux petits Après environ 6 mois de gestation, les femelles loris lents pygmées donnent naissance de 1 à 2 petits, généralement pendant les mois d'hiver. Les bébés naissent entièrement formés avec la fourrure et les yeux ouverts. Classés en danger sur la liste rouge de l’IUCN, les loris lents font partie d’un programme d’élevage européen de l’EAZA (EEP). C.M"
The young Red Pandas PYARO and MEI have just left Lille Zoo for other French parks (Parc animalier d'Auvergne and Thoiry). Zoo de Lille on Instagram: "DES NOUVELLES DE PYARO ET MEI, LES JEUNES PANDAS ROUX DU ZOO Nés le 17 juillet dernier, Pyaro et Meï ont atteint l'âge de quitter leurs parents et d'entrer en contact avec d'autres congénères, selon les recommandations du coordinateur européen de l'espèce. C'est ainsi que Meï, la femelle a rejoint ce dimanche 21 mai Lali, petite panda du même âge au parc animalier d'Auvergne, dans le massif du Cézallier, à Ardes-sur-Couze, dans le département du Puy-de-Dôme. Pyaro, le mâle a rejoint ce lundi 22 mai River, femelle panda âgée de 8 ans à Thoiry Zoo Safari, situé dans la région Île-de-France, dans le département des Yvelines. Nous gardons le contact :) E. H."