Paris Zoo

zoo, Paris, France

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Article History

Paris Zoo, zoological park, comprising the Menagerie of the Botanical Garden (Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes) and the Zoological Park of Paris (Parc Zoologique de Paris), both services of the French National Museum of Natural History.

In 1793 the Jardin des Plantes, which was originally a botanical garden, became the first public zoo in France. The compact 6.5-hectare (16-acre) area, with formal 18th-century landscaping, was retained when the Jardin was renovated between 1918 and 1939. It holds some 1,100 specimens, including the rare Przewalski’s horse. The zoo has had excellent success breeding this and other species.

In 1934 the Parc Zoologique, a modern 15-hectare (37-acre) zoo with spacious natural habitat surroundings, was opened in a wooded area, the Bois de Vincennes. Its landmark is the Grand Rocher, a 65-metre- (214-foot-) high artificial mountain with winding paths for wild sheep. The zoo has more than 1,000 specimens of nearly 225 species. It has had notable success in breeding okapis and giraffes, and it houses more than 80 species of birds and many mammals, including the rare Eld’s deer, for which the zoo maintains the international studbook.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.