Parc Paradisio Last visit: August 2003 For any bird fan, this zoo is amazing. There are so many rare species here. The Crane and Stork collection is only comparable to Walsrode and Niendorf. There are shoebills, Siberian white, Wattled, Hooded, black necked and white naped cranes and Yellow billed, marabou, woolly necked and white storks, to mention a few! But there are not just waterbirds here. There are two very large tropical houses. One, called Oasis is a huge tropical greenhouse with a very popular cafe. In the Oasis Greenhouse, there are many free-flying species such as Bare throated bell birds, Carmine Bee-eaters and Rainbow lorikeets. There are some mammal species in here, the very common Meerkat and the oriental short Clawed otter. Both of these species are great crowd pleasers, but to regular zoo fans, these species are almost boring. Thankfully, there are some very exciting bird species in aviaries in here, the most notable of which are the Rufous and wreathed hornbills. Both of these birds are very rare in European zoos, and paradisio has pairs of both species. There has not been any success with either of these species as of yet, but as hornbills can live upwards of 25 years, there is still a lot of time left. Outside this building are exhibits for Prevost's squirrels and King vultures. The other tropical house has some free flying species such as Scheepmaker's crowned pigeon and grey winged trumpeter and there are some larger birds like the Sulawesi wrinkled hornbill and red billed toucan in spacious aviaries. Ratites are represented here in the from of Southern cassowaries in an interesting exhibit with a large expanse of water for the birds to swim in. There are also emus, Ostriches and Rheas. In regards to the mammals, there are both species of Hippos, Brazilian Tapirs, Common Zebra, Gibbons and Giraffes. Most of these species are located near the top of the park near an exhibition which explains the work done by the WWF Near the exit to the park there are Fur seals and penguins in adjoining exhibits. There is also an aquarium and a walk in Bat exhibit. Exhibits: 5 Surroundings: 4 Guest facilities: 4 Education: 3 16 out of 20
