I will be travelling between Basel and Paris in the next months. Can anybody recommend good zoos in the eastern France. Mulhouse is the natural choice, anything else?
Besancon is also en-route, good lemur collection, Asian lion and yellow footed rock wallaby amongst others.
Amnéville is a must, a very interesting zoo with both good and bad exhibits and animal shows. Apparently it has gone broke under current owners but still trading. Mulhouse I would not bother with if pushed for time. Basel Zoo's great ape exhibits are very good if you have not been before it's also a relatively small zoo.
Thanks a lot, Amnéville and Besancon look interesting. Any smaller interesting places? For example bird parks with unusual species? I am mostly interested in birds and mammals uncommon in zoos.
Near Amneville but in another country – Zoo Bettembourg in Luxembourg. Maybe no rarities but nice zoo with two tropical houses, good enclosures and the world of fairy tales in old style. I can confirm that Besancon is worth a visit. Mainly lemurs but also interesting location – XVIIc. fortress.
Strasbourg Zoo has Tonkean macaques and capercaillies. The nearby Natural History Museum is also worth a visit.
No man, don't go to Strasbourg FOR the "zoo" ... you will be really disapointed ! If you want a great "little zoo" go to Sainte-Croix (in the city of Rhodes, 1h from Strasbourg) : it's a beautiful park with european animals in wild exhibits ! Basel, Mulhouse and Besançon seems me good choices for you. Amneville decided to became a circus with a tiger show, so I wouldn't tell you to go there !
This is nonsens, Amnville is despite of its Tiger-Show a very good zoo with a high standard in Animal care ! For people interested in birds of prey, cats and primates it is the best choice in eastern France. By heh way-Amneville is now suspended from the EAZA because of its Tiger-Show, but altough I am far away from to be a friend of wild animals in circusses, the Tigers at Amniville are much better kept than in every circus.
In my opinion, Zoo Amnéville is worth a visit. But be aware that the entrance fee is very high (35 Euros per adult). Exhibits are mostly average to good imo (but none comes to my mind that deserves the term excellent). But there are also exhibits far away from being "high standard" like the ones for Reptiles (little to no sunlight, partially small tanks), Pumas (exhibit looks like the outside of a farmhouse with tools, animals could get hurt), African Elephants (exhibits are smaller as they look like), indoor part of the Orang-Utan exhibit (more artificial, more concrete then necessary) and - at least in the recent past - Brown Bears (small, concrete dig). I don't know if it is important to you, but Amnéville shows most (if not all) of the ABC's and there's a lot of entertainment/edutainment like a Seal show, commenting Polar Bear feeding, medival horse and birds of prey show, etc.. Beside that, there is also an Aquarium a few steps away from the Zoo entrance. (additional entrance fee).
Personal opinion ... but I don't want my money to be used for it or for a future similar project (Amneville's director seems to want a dolphinarium for the next years ...) And Zoomaniac fortunately the bear's exhibit was demolished and a new part including brown bears and wolverines will open in 2017.
Its not a personal opinion, it's a fact- Amneville Zoo has indeed some excellent exhibits like the gorilla exhibit,the river otter exhibit, the polar bear exhibit, the white rhino and savannah exhibit... The animal welfare ist better than in most german zoos- almost every mammal species at Amneville has access to an outdoor exhibit, while at germanys"best"zoo in Leipzig,tapirs and pygmy hippos have to stay inside year round, to name just one example. Of course Amneville has as EVERY Zoo in the world some weak points, but to judge a whole zoo just because of its Tiger-Show is nonsens-strange, but most zoofans do not have problems with elephants kept in direct contact...what is much more stress for the animals than the Tiger-Show at Amneville. So whats the problem with a dolphinarium at Amneville Zoo ? The zoo does also keeps apes and elephants..... If I remember correctly, the ape house at the "famous"Zürich Zoo is is a prison-style house with missiing outdoor exhibits and tiny indoor cages, and the new elephant outdoor exhibit is unbelivable tiny, altough it's brandnew... ( Never throw with stones when sitting in a glasshouse....
Was anyone talking about the Zoo Zurich in THIS thread? And did anyone say that everything at Zoo Zurich is perfect????
@ Bib Fortuna : Gorilla enclosures without any real trees, ugly false rock for the polar bears ... but you're right that this is better than few other zoos ! German zoos are for the majority quite older than Amneville. Yep it's a shame for Leipzig ... Gondwanaland is incredible but mammals like this should have outdoor exhibits. Never say that I was for direct contact for elephants but TigerWolrd opened in 2015 : it's a regress in zoos evolution. Zurich have little outdoor exhibits for the great apes. I haven't seen the new outdoor areas for elephants but the house is really cool ! But why are you talking about Zurich ? ^^
@Clem Zürich was just an example how bad animal welfare can be also in much bigger and more famous Zoos than Amneville, also because the talk here was about the small elephant exhibit at Amneville. Zürich has tiny little outdoor cages for apes, no outside exhibits-I know, they want to build a new gorillas what is due to open in 8 Years ! Belive me, the gorilla welfare at amneville is excellent, and I hope, the gorilals wills aty theer altough the Zoos is now suspended from the EAZA. Gorillas and Polar Bears do not care about artifical trees and rocks-no animal does. Adult Gorillas don't climb very often in trees. The Polar bear exhibit is for two animals in a good szie, offers a huge pool, "rocks", and shadow. In comapre to germany, Amneville has a great exhibit for this species. They could improve it by natural ground instead of stones. The welfare of all primates and big cats is very good in Amneville. Sure, a circus-style performance of animals-tigers, elephants etc. is not a thing for a zoo in the 21th century,but as I said, the welfare of the performing tigers is in much higherl evel than in circusses and, of course, in some Zoos-they do have 600 m2 large outdoor exhibits with natural ground, shadow,and a pool.I think, no circus can offer that to its big cats. Please visit Tierpark Berlin and have a look how tigers are kept there...I sure you, the performing tigers at Amneville are doing much better than the tigers at this"Tierpark".
I am not sure if it is on your route, but my favorite zoo in the world is one hour east of Paris. Le Parc des Felins has the best cat collection in the world and in huge natural enclosures. Although it is primarily a cat park, they also have a walk through lemur island and have just added a few ungulate species (to illustrate prey of select cats). If you need information on a nearby hotel, send me a PM.
@Bib What's the difference for you between cage/outside enclosure ? Because gorillas in Zurich have an outside enclosure. I share your idea that animals don't recognize real and false rock but it's not a reason to create an ugly false rock scenery and much less an artificial enclosure. Gorillas have some good outside exhibits but there is only artificial structure to climb on it. For the size of polar bears enclosure : I don't really remember the whole area but I have the memory of something a bit straight. No circus can give the same condition of live for their tigers but Amneville isn't a real circus and should have other concrete objectives than making a tiger show ... 14 M€ would have been used better. Never had the occasion to visit Berlin's zoos but you compare a recent new opening with a 60's building, things have changed since that time !
I never went to Parc des Félins but I've heard good things on it PS : I hope that my english is understable ...
