Zoological gardens of Vincennes

The zoological gardens of Paris , usually called zoo of Vincennes is located in the 12 {{E}} district of Paris, close to the Bois of Vincennes. It depends on the national Muséum of natural history and covers a surface of 14,5 hectares. It comprises an artificial rock high of 65 m, on which one can in particular see Mouflon S.

History of the Zoological gardens of Paris

Inaugurated in 1934, the zoo is built on the model innovating of that of Hamburg. It makes following the small temporary zoo arranged in the Wood of Vincennes at the time of the colonial exposure of 1931 in order to make discover with the public of Paris of the exotic animals as well as the reconstituted indigenous villages which one will describe later as human zoos .

It was built according to the architectural model suggested by Karl Hagenbeck, a revolutionary model for the time, which aimed at presenting the animals on plates, in ditches and ripraps without the public being separated by from it bars. The interior cabins of many animals could also be visited by the public.

Very quickly, he was a great success near the Parisien S, which could admire a spectacular fauna there, within a framework more " naturel" that in the old menageries such as that of the Botanical garden.

Its installations enabled him to lodge many animals, especially large mammals. The zoo obtained great successes in the reproduction of the Indian elephant, of the Girafe of the Niger and of the Okapi, all three threatened of extinction in nature, as well as multitude of Félin S, of Ours, Antilope S and Cervidé S. It also presented very rare species in captivity, the such Kouprey (a specimen of 1936 to 1940, to have only been high in Europe), the sea elephant (a specimen lived about thirty years there), the Rhinocéros Indian and the giant Panda (a male of this species named Yen-Yen lived there of 1973 to 2000, which represents one of the more long lives of life for this species in captivity).

However, it presented many animal species of small size forever, for lack of adapted installations, and this in spite of the construction of some birdcages and the opening of a House of the Lemurs in 1986, where groups of night Lemur S, often rare, evolved/moved in an artificial darkness. This installation forever have of equivalent in France, and did not have of it much elsewhere in the world.

From the years 1980, the installations of the zoo were strongly degraded, from the ageing of the enclosures and the reinforced concrete rocks (which had been designed for one 50 years duration in the years 1930), without there not being of plan of overall restoration. If the Large Rock, emblematic figure, had been renovated in the years 1990, that was not the case of many of other installations, which had to be closed with the public with the beginning of the year 2000, and certain animals (elephants, cat-like, rhinoceros, bear) had to be moved out of the zoo.

Following this alarm as for the future of the Zoo, 500 000 euros were devoted, since 2004, with work of first need, on the networks of gas and electricity and on the rock of the giraffes.
" the progressive degradation of its equipment, therefore of its operation even resulted in considering its closing, temporary or final, which caused a legitimate emotion because that would mean the disappearance of an old institution and a research center, information and reproduction of world famous " then underline the deputy of the Valley-of-Marne, Patrick Beaudouin, at a questions session to the Government with the National Assembly in December 2004.
In 2005, the Government devoted a million euros to the reception of the animals and of the public and 1,2 additional million made it possible to complete the birdcage with the lemurs and to accommodate new boarders. That made it possible definitively to launch the restoration of the zoo of Vincennes. The overall costs of work, which should begin in the first quarter 2007, are estimated between 120 and 130 million euros. This plan of restoration must answer the need for making future zoo “an establishment of world reference”, as Allain Bougrain-Dubourg affirms it, president of the scientific committee.
a public-private Partenariat was then decided to conclude the building site of restoration as soon as possible. Private actors will thus ensure the financing and the realization of the new zoo, with the help of a temporary rent corresponding roughly to the addition of receipts generated by the entries of the renovated park. The call for candidate intervened at the summer 2005, the building site could be launched before the end of 2006. This partnership, limited to the management of the building site of restoration, affects neither the statute nor the missions of the personnel and the associated researchers, either that the public service mission of the park.
In addition, the choice of the project of the cabinet of architect TN+ was stopped in December 2005. This project intends to bind sustainable development and respect of the animal condition, by presenting the animals in their biotopes. for the cabinet TN+, " the visitor will become the guest of the animal which it will meet in his universe reconstitué" ( Le Monde of December 7th, 2005) the principle of the new zoo is not any more as much as possible to show animals but to develop their presentation. Thus, Asian fauna, the tigers in particular, will be moved. The same will apply to the bears, which depress in captivity, and for the elephants, too with the narrow one. Indeed, one needs 5 hectares for two pachyderms.
the new zoo could open its doors in 2008.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007, the managing director of the Natural history museum of natural history declares: " The restoration of the Zoological gardens of Paris, located in the wood of Vincennes (XIIe), will be a reality in 2011" as soon as possible;.

The popular movement to save the zoo of Vincennes

In September 2004, the town of Vincennes sets up a petition on line to save the zoo.

Associations of safeguard of the zoo of Vincennes

the spring of the animals, sponsored by the humorist Smaïn.
Association for the restoration of the Wood of Vincennes (ARBVé), Saint-Mandé.

Notes and references of the article

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