Palmyre Zoo
Encyclopedia
La Palmyre Zoo is a zoo in Les Mathes, Charente-Maritime, France
. It was created in 1966 in the forest of the Les Mathes by Claude Caillé. Extending over 18 hectares, including 14 of landscape garden, it offers the visitor the opportunity of observing more than 1600 animals of all kinds, divided into 130 species, over a distance of more than 4 km.
He was the son of a newspaperman, with whom he started working at the age of 14. In his twenties he met his future wife, Irene, whose brother had a small zoological gardens in Croustille, close to Limoges
. It was through his frequent visits helping his brother-in-law that Claude Caillé discovered his passion for animals. Consequently he became interested and went on to study zoology.
, gorilla
s and the chimpanzee
s.
He left then to Kenya
where, helped by Kĩkũyũ
, he captured zebras, antelopes and giraffes, but did not have sufficient money to pay the taxes and the transportation for the animals. He returned then to France, but returned three months later with the money necessary. Unfortunately, the animals entrusted to his team disappeared, killed meanwhile by Kĩkũyũ. Claude Caillé then took up the school road and rounds for three years.
.
In June 1966, the zoo opened its doors with 60 animals spread over 3 hectares. At the end of August, the park recorded 129,500 visitors. With growing success, the zoo grew and accommodated newcomers. At that time, the animals of the zoo were regarded as forming members of the family and, thus, babies which mothers abandoned were suckled with feeding-bottles.
Today however, in order to avoid denaturing them, the animals are not fed in the nursery but by their parents. It is done only in exceptional cases, such as - abandonment of babies, lack of milk or mother instinct, or death of mother.
In 1996 the basin for the polar bears was created, with a capacity of 1000 m³ of water. The visitors can observe the polar bears on the ground as well as under water thanks to 5 cm thick glass at the sides of the basin.
In October 2000, a female cheetah born in 1992, exhibited salivary and locomotive disorders. Despite all care taken, the general state of the animal degraded, Doctor Thierry Petit was obliged to euthanize it in February 2001. The probe carried out by the French Agency of medical safety of food (AFSSA) of Lyon
highlighted the fact that the animal was infected with Bovine spongiform encephalopathy
(BSE), more known under the name of "mad cow disease". It was the first case of BSE on an animal born in France. The animal would have been contaminated by pieces of meat, soiled by remainders of nervous systems, given to cat-like in addition to their ration containing chicken. Fortunately it was the only case that affected the zoo.
Certain rare species, like Bali Starling
, from which there remain only some pairs in the world, needed particular care from a possible epizootic
of aviary influenza. Containment is unfortunately not recommended in this case because it would be likely to involve serious pathologies in wild animals by definition.
However, for the moment, the only measures available are the containment of certain species and the protection of the eating area of the not confined species.
In October 2005, Claude Caillé officially took his retirement, and was succeeded by his son, Patrick Caillé.
A male 12 years old Amur Tiger
, left Palmyre Zoo in June 2006 to join Toundra, a female of the zoo of Amnéville
.
The heat wave of the summer 2006 required setting up of special devices for certain animals, in particular for the African Penguin
s, for which an atomiser
was installed.
It is also one of the founding members of the Conservation of the species and the animal populations (CEPA). This association created in 1997, concentrates its actions on the species seriously threatened and generally neglected like the Leopard
or the Tahiti Monarch
. A very detailed attention is given to the fauna of the Overseas departments and territories of France
.
In 2002, the zoo of Palmyre joined the European Association for the study and the conservation of the lemurs (AEECL) which includes about fifteen zoos. The initiative of this action goes to the zoos of Mulhouse
, Cologne
and Saarbrücken
and the University of Strasbourg
. Association manages a programme of European breeding in controlled environment (zoological gardens) and collects funds which are used for creation of a zone protected in Madagascar
for the Blue-eyed Black Lemur.
Thanks to its remarkable birth rate, the zoo is able to adhere to many programmes of safeguard of species in the process of extinction. In 2006 for example, the zoo took part in 36 European programs of breeding, thus, a quarter of the 130 species which it shelters is the subject of an international program of breeding. Among these list, one finds the gorilla of the plains, the Orangutan
of Borneo, the Scimitar Oryx
, or the Golden Lion Tamarin
of South America.
, the oryx is today at the edge of extinction, victim of hunting (for its horns) and of the human activities. The last representatives of the species, estimated at about thirty individuals, do not remain any more but in two isolated pockets, one in Chad
and the other in Niger
. This is why the oryx is the subject of European programs of breeding (EEP) in which the zoo of Palmyre is actively involved.
Om March 11, 1999, fourteen individuals coming from seven European zoological gardens, including two males raised at the zoo of Palmyre, were reintroduced in Tunisia, in the reserve of Sidi Toui, in order to form a reproductive core. Once the newly introduced animals reach a sufficient number and that the local population will have learned how to coexist with them, they will be released in the desert.
This is why in addition to its implication in the European programs of breeding, the zoo of Palmyre finances many in situ protection or research programs, i.e. in the countries of origin of the animals, in particular of the programs aiming at protecting the orangutan and also gibbon
s.
In 1995, there were approximately 500 tamarins lions in the wild, 125 of them had been reintroduced or had been born to reintroduced individuals. These 125 monkeys lived in 26 groups.
In 1999, the population of animals reintroduced or resulting from reintroduced animals was composed of 43 groups including 302 monkeys. They live in the reserve of Poço das Antas (5500 hectares and more than 20 years of existence) and in 15 private programs.
Today, thanks to the programs of reintroduction carried out by the zoos, their population has gone up to 1000 individuals, against hardly 200 in 1970. It is estimated that the optimal capacity of reception of these supervised forests is reached.
, like two females, Alix (born in 1983) and Malicia (born in 1984), both arrived on January 11, 1991. The first birth of elephant calf in the zoo was on the October 26, 1995 when Alix gave birth to Homaline. It was followed by Jacky on July 7, 1996, which was transferred to the zoo of Pont-Scorff
on October 9, 2001, then to the zoo of Ostrava on October 12, 2004, where it died on March 25, 2005. Then there was Maurice on June 16, 2001 and Angèle on November 5, 2001. Lately, it is Ziha who was born on January 27, 2006.
These births are of primary importance for the program of European breeding, because they remain rare. In France, since closing for maintenance of the zoological gardens of Vincennes
, only the zoo of Palmyre controls the reproduction of the Indian elephants.
The Indian elephants are decreasing in nature, and the captive population difficult to be maintain without a sufficient manpower. To keep a reproductive male requires installations and a follow-up personnel, that is why few zoological establishments have given up trying the reproduction of these pachyderms.
These animals, very abundant still a few decades ago, today are threatened by extinction, not only because of the destruction of their habitat, but especially due to poaching for their horns, which although being made up only of simple keratin, like the nails and the hair, are very coveted by Chinese traditional medicine or for the manufacture of handles of daggers in Yemen
. The world population exceeded more than 2 million individuals at the beginning of the 19th century, to 18 000 approximately today, all species together.
There remain about 5 species of rhinoceros in the world:
The zoo of Palmyre also takes part in research programs undertaken by schools veterinary surgeons and institutes of research concerning the reproduction of the white rhinoceroses.
Poitou-Charentes
, of which 5.5% of the regional GDP comes from tourism, the zoo of Palmyre, with his 750 000 entries (including 10% from school) and 9 million € of sales turnover, represents with Futuroscope
of Poitiers
(1 200 000 entries) and the Aquarium of La Rochelle
(850 000 entries) 50% of the entries and half of the income of the activities of leisure in the area. It is the zoological gardens of France with the largest number of visitors.
The park is entirely accessible to the handicapped people, has free car parking, and offers places for relaxing and eating inside the park.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It was created in 1966 in the forest of the Les Mathes by Claude Caillé. Extending over 18 hectares, including 14 of landscape garden, it offers the visitor the opportunity of observing more than 1600 animals of all kinds, divided into 130 species, over a distance of more than 4 km.
History
La Palmyre Zoo officially opened its doors only in 1966, but the project really began in a semi-official way in 1957, thanks to the efforts of its founder, Claude Caillé.He was the son of a newspaperman, with whom he started working at the age of 14. In his twenties he met his future wife, Irene, whose brother had a small zoological gardens in Croustille, close to Limoges
Limoges
Limoges |Limousin]] dialect of Occitan) is a city and commune, the capital of the Haute-Vienne department and the administrative capital of the Limousin région in west-central France....
. It was through his frequent visits helping his brother-in-law that Claude Caillé discovered his passion for animals. Consequently he became interested and went on to study zoology.
A traveling zoo
In 1957, accompanied by his wife and their two children, Patrick and Bruno, he began with a small travelling zoo which he exhibited in schools, traveling through France. Then, in the sixties, he decided to leave for Africa to capture animals there. After a stay among Pygmies, he brought back from CameroonCameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
, gorilla
Gorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
s and the chimpanzee
Chimpanzee
Chimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
s.
He left then to Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
where, helped by Kĩkũyũ
Kikuyu
The Kikuyu are Kenya's most populous ethnic group. 'Kikuyu' is the Swahili form of the proper name and pronunciation of Gĩkũyũ although they refer to themselves as the Agĩkũyũ people.There are about 5,300,000 Kikuyu people in Kenya The Kikuyu are Kenya's most populous ethnic group. 'Kikuyu' is the...
, he captured zebras, antelopes and giraffes, but did not have sufficient money to pay the taxes and the transportation for the animals. He returned then to France, but returned three months later with the money necessary. Unfortunately, the animals entrusted to his team disappeared, killed meanwhile by Kĩkũyũ. Claude Caillé then took up the school road and rounds for three years.
Creation of the zoo of La Palmyre
On returning to Kenya, he joined Carr-Hartley who captured and provided animals to zoos around the whole world. This time the operation succeeded, and he returned then to France with a livestock of exotic animals, and settled in Palmyre in the heart of a forest of maritime pines and holm oaks, near the beaches of the Atlantic oceanAtlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
.
In June 1966, the zoo opened its doors with 60 animals spread over 3 hectares. At the end of August, the park recorded 129,500 visitors. With growing success, the zoo grew and accommodated newcomers. At that time, the animals of the zoo were regarded as forming members of the family and, thus, babies which mothers abandoned were suckled with feeding-bottles.
Today however, in order to avoid denaturing them, the animals are not fed in the nursery but by their parents. It is done only in exceptional cases, such as - abandonment of babies, lack of milk or mother instinct, or death of mother.
Some outstanding facts
In 1976 many animals were evacuated because of a large fire which devastated the forest of Coubre and threatened the zoo, and which fortunately died out a few hundred meters from the zoo.In 1996 the basin for the polar bears was created, with a capacity of 1000 m³ of water. The visitors can observe the polar bears on the ground as well as under water thanks to 5 cm thick glass at the sides of the basin.
In October 2000, a female cheetah born in 1992, exhibited salivary and locomotive disorders. Despite all care taken, the general state of the animal degraded, Doctor Thierry Petit was obliged to euthanize it in February 2001. The probe carried out by the French Agency of medical safety of food (AFSSA) of Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
highlighted the fact that the animal was infected with Bovine spongiform encephalopathy
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy , commonly known as mad-cow disease, is a fatal neurodegenerative disease in cattle that causes a spongy degeneration in the brain and spinal cord. BSE has a long incubation period, about 30 months to 8 years, usually affecting adult cattle at a peak age onset of...
(BSE), more known under the name of "mad cow disease". It was the first case of BSE on an animal born in France. The animal would have been contaminated by pieces of meat, soiled by remainders of nervous systems, given to cat-like in addition to their ration containing chicken. Fortunately it was the only case that affected the zoo.
Recent news
Due to the aviary epidemic of influenza, it was considered to vaccinate, as a precautionary measure, the 600 birds boarders of the zoo.Certain rare species, like Bali Starling
Bali Starling
The Bali Starling , also known as Rothschild’s Mynah, Bali Myna, or Bali Mynah, locally known as Jalak Bali, is a medium-sized , stocky myna, almost wholly white with a long, drooping crest, and black tips on the wings and tail. The bird has blue bare skin around the eyes, greyish legs and a yellow...
, from which there remain only some pairs in the world, needed particular care from a possible epizootic
Epizootic
In epizoology, an epizootic is a disease that appears as new cases in a given animal population, during a given period, at a rate that substantially exceeds what is "expected" based on recent experience . Epidemic is the analogous term applied to human populations...
of aviary influenza. Containment is unfortunately not recommended in this case because it would be likely to involve serious pathologies in wild animals by definition.
However, for the moment, the only measures available are the containment of certain species and the protection of the eating area of the not confined species.
In October 2005, Claude Caillé officially took his retirement, and was succeeded by his son, Patrick Caillé.
A male 12 years old Amur Tiger
Amur Tiger
The Siberian tiger , also known as the Amur tiger, is a tiger subspecies inhabiting mainly the Sikhote Alin mountain region with a small subpopulation in southwest Primorye province in the Russian Far East. In 2005, there were 331–393 adult-subadult Amur tigers in this region, with a breeding adult...
, left Palmyre Zoo in June 2006 to join Toundra, a female of the zoo of Amnéville
Amnéville
Amnéville is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. The town is an important tourist and thermal center in France.-Main sights:*Traces of Roman road*Remains of a Roman bridge*14th century castle and church*Zoo d'Amnéville...
.
The heat wave of the summer 2006 required setting up of special devices for certain animals, in particular for the African Penguin
African Penguin
The African Penguin , also known as the Black-footed Penguin is a species of penguin, confined to southern African waters. It is known as Brilpikkewyn in Afrikaans, Inguza or Unombombiya in Xhosa, Manchot Du Cap in French and Pingüino Del Cabo in Spanish...
s, for which an atomiser
Atomization
Atomization or Atomizer may refer to:* The conversion of a vaporized sample into atomic components in atomic spectroscopy* An apparatus using an atomizer nozzle* Atomizer Geyser, a cone geyser in Yellowstone National Park...
was installed.
Conservation and international co-operation
Particularly sensitized with the conservation of threatened species, the zoo of Palmyre is member many recognized international associations, such as:- the world Association of the zoos and aquariums (WAZA);
- the European Association of the zoos and aquariums (EAZA);
- the national Association of the zoological gardens (ANPZ);
- the Action for the safeguarding of the primates of West Africa (WAPCA).
It is also one of the founding members of the Conservation of the species and the animal populations (CEPA). This association created in 1997, concentrates its actions on the species seriously threatened and generally neglected like the Leopard
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
or the Tahiti Monarch
Tahiti Monarch
Pomarea nigra, the Tahiti Monarch or Tahiti Flycatcher, is a rare species of bird in the Monarch flycatcher family. It is endemic to Tahiti in French Polynesia. There are fewer than 50 individuals remaining....
. A very detailed attention is given to the fauna of the Overseas departments and territories of France
Overseas departments and territories of France
The French Overseas Departments and Territories consist broadly of French-administered territories outside of the European continent. These territories have varying legal status and different levels of autonomy, although all have representation in the Parliament of France , and consequently the...
.
In 2002, the zoo of Palmyre joined the European Association for the study and the conservation of the lemurs (AEECL) which includes about fifteen zoos. The initiative of this action goes to the zoos of Mulhouse
Mulhouse
Mulhouse |mill]] hamlet) is a city and commune in eastern France, close to the Swiss and German borders. With a population of 110,514 and 278,206 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2006, it is the largest city in the Haut-Rhin département, and the second largest in the Alsace region after...
, Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
and Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city is situated at the heart of a metropolitan area that borders on the west on Dillingen and to the north-east on Neunkirchen, where most of the people of the Saarland live....
and the University of Strasbourg
University of Strasbourg
The University of Strasbourg in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, is the largest university in France, with about 43,000 students and over 4,000 researchers....
. Association manages a programme of European breeding in controlled environment (zoological gardens) and collects funds which are used for creation of a zone protected in Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
for the Blue-eyed Black Lemur.
Thanks to its remarkable birth rate, the zoo is able to adhere to many programmes of safeguard of species in the process of extinction. In 2006 for example, the zoo took part in 36 European programs of breeding, thus, a quarter of the 130 species which it shelters is the subject of an international program of breeding. Among these list, one finds the gorilla of the plains, the Orangutan
Orangutan
Orangutans are the only exclusively Asian genus of extant great ape. The largest living arboreal animals, they have proportionally longer arms than the other, more terrestrial, great apes. They are among the most intelligent primates and use a variety of sophisticated tools, also making sleeping...
of Borneo, the Scimitar Oryx
Scimitar Oryx
The Scimitar Oryx, or Scimitar-Horned Oryx, is a species of oryx which formerly inhabited the whole of North Africa. It has been classified as extinct in the wild by the IUCN.-Etymology and taxonomy:...
, or the Golden Lion Tamarin
Golden Lion Tamarin
The golden lion tamarin also known as the golden marmoset, is a small New World monkey of the family Callitrichidae...
of South America.
Scimitar Oryx
Hardly less than about thirty years it still occupied the whole of SaharaSahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
, the oryx is today at the edge of extinction, victim of hunting (for its horns) and of the human activities. The last representatives of the species, estimated at about thirty individuals, do not remain any more but in two isolated pockets, one in Chad
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
and the other in Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
. This is why the oryx is the subject of European programs of breeding (EEP) in which the zoo of Palmyre is actively involved.
Om March 11, 1999, fourteen individuals coming from seven European zoological gardens, including two males raised at the zoo of Palmyre, were reintroduced in Tunisia, in the reserve of Sidi Toui, in order to form a reproductive core. Once the newly introduced animals reach a sufficient number and that the local population will have learned how to coexist with them, they will be released in the desert.
Orangutan of Borneo
The orangutan are threatened to extinction because of disappearance of their natural habitat, the tropical forests of Sumatra and Borneo. It is estimated that 30 to 50% of the wild populations of orangutans were decimated in the last ten years. Today, the last wild populations remain mainly out of the protected reserves, in degraded zones subjected to the human exploitation (deforestation, and agriculture). To date, the populations of orang-utans in their natural habitat were never studied and it is generally believed that they are heading towards a fast extinction.This is why in addition to its implication in the European programs of breeding, the zoo of Palmyre finances many in situ protection or research programs, i.e. in the countries of origin of the animals, in particular of the programs aiming at protecting the orangutan and also gibbon
Gibbon
Gibbons are apes in the family Hylobatidae . The family is divided into four genera based on their diploid chromosome number: Hylobates , Hoolock , Nomascus , and Symphalangus . The extinct Bunopithecus sericus is a gibbon or gibbon-like ape which, until recently, was thought to be closely related...
s.
Golden Lion Tamarin
In 1992, the zoo sent a family of tamarins lions to Brazil within the framework of a rescue operation of this species, threatened since the end of 1960 because of the forestry development and the extension of the human population.In 1995, there were approximately 500 tamarins lions in the wild, 125 of them had been reintroduced or had been born to reintroduced individuals. These 125 monkeys lived in 26 groups.
In 1999, the population of animals reintroduced or resulting from reintroduced animals was composed of 43 groups including 302 monkeys. They live in the reserve of Poço das Antas (5500 hectares and more than 20 years of existence) and in 15 private programs.
Today, thanks to the programs of reintroduction carried out by the zoos, their population has gone up to 1000 individuals, against hardly 200 in 1970. It is estimated that the optimal capacity of reception of these supervised forests is reached.
Indian Elephant
The zoo of Palmyre has a reproductive bull elephant, Shinto (born in 1969), arrived on January 25, 1983 coming from the zoological gardens of FrejusFréjus
Fréjus is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.It neighbours Saint-Raphaël, effectively forming one town...
, like two females, Alix (born in 1983) and Malicia (born in 1984), both arrived on January 11, 1991. The first birth of elephant calf in the zoo was on the October 26, 1995 when Alix gave birth to Homaline. It was followed by Jacky on July 7, 1996, which was transferred to the zoo of Pont-Scorff
Pont-Scorff
Pont-Scorff is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France.It takes its name from the River Scorff, which flows through the town.-Demographics:...
on October 9, 2001, then to the zoo of Ostrava on October 12, 2004, where it died on March 25, 2005. Then there was Maurice on June 16, 2001 and Angèle on November 5, 2001. Lately, it is Ziha who was born on January 27, 2006.
These births are of primary importance for the program of European breeding, because they remain rare. In France, since closing for maintenance of the zoological gardens of Vincennes
Vincennes
Vincennes is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe.-History:...
, only the zoo of Palmyre controls the reproduction of the Indian elephants.
The Indian elephants are decreasing in nature, and the captive population difficult to be maintain without a sufficient manpower. To keep a reproductive male requires installations and a follow-up personnel, that is why few zoological establishments have given up trying the reproduction of these pachyderms.
White Rhinoceros
In June 2006, the zoo of Palmyre, which has two white rhinoceroses (Whi and Noëlle), joined conservation campaign of the rhinoceros organized by the Association European of the zoos and aquariums (EAZA), and intended to collect 350 000 € in order to finance a minimum of 13 programmes of conservation of the rhinoceroses in Africa and Asia.These animals, very abundant still a few decades ago, today are threatened by extinction, not only because of the destruction of their habitat, but especially due to poaching for their horns, which although being made up only of simple keratin, like the nails and the hair, are very coveted by Chinese traditional medicine or for the manufacture of handles of daggers in Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
. The world population exceeded more than 2 million individuals at the beginning of the 19th century, to 18 000 approximately today, all species together.
There remain about 5 species of rhinoceros in the world:
- 2 in Africa: the Black RhinocerosBlack RhinocerosThe Black Rhinoceros or Hook-lipped Rhinoceros , is a species of rhinoceros, native to the eastern and central areas of Africa including Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Angola...
, which with 3 725 listed individuals is close to the extinction and of which one of the four subspecies - the black rhinoceros of West Africa (Diceros bicornis longipes) - has just died out in September 2006. The White RhinocerosWhite RhinocerosThe White Rhinoceros or Square-lipped rhinoceros is one of the five species of rhinoceros that still exist. It has a wide mouth used for grazing and is the most social of all rhino species...
, which after having failed to disappear less than one century ago (it remained about it less than 50 individuals), is from now on the only one still present in a reasonable number with 14 540 individuals. One of its subspecies is represented however by only by 4 individuals living in their last refuge, Garamba National ParkGaramba National ParkGaramba National Park, located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa, was established in 1938. One of Africa's oldest National parks, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980. Garamba is the home to the world's last known wild population of Northern White Rhinoceros...
, in Democratic Republic of Congo - 3 in Asia: Sumatran RhinocerosSumatran RhinocerosThe Sumatran Rhinoceros is a member of the family Rhinocerotidae and one of five extant rhinoceroses. It is the only extant species of the genus Dicerorhinus. It is the smallest rhinoceros, although is still a large mammal. This rhino stands high at the shoulder, with a head-and-body length of ...
and Javan RhinocerosJavan RhinocerosThe Javan Rhinoceros or Lesser One-horned Rhinoceros is a member of the family Rhinocerotidae and one of five extant rhinoceroses...
, which are close to extinction with less than 400 individuals listed on the whole, as well as the Indian RhinocerosIndian RhinocerosThe Indian Rhinoceros is also called Greater One-horned Rhinoceros and Asian One-horned Rhinoceros and belongs to the Rhinocerotidae family...
, which failed to disappear at the beginning from the 20th century, and of which the situation slightly improved since then.
The zoo of Palmyre also takes part in research programs undertaken by schools veterinary surgeons and institutes of research concerning the reproduction of the white rhinoceroses.
Financial aspect
Important economic factor for the régionRegion
Region is most commonly found as a term used in terrestrial and astrophysics sciences also an area, notably among the different sub-disciplines of geography, studied by regional geographers. Regions consist of subregions that contain clusters of like areas that are distinctive by their uniformity...
Poitou-Charentes
Poitou-Charentes
Poitou-Charentes is an administrative region in central western France comprising four departments: Charente, Charente-Maritime, Deux-Sèvres and Vienne. The regional capital is Poitiers.-Politics:The regional council is composed of 56 members...
, of which 5.5% of the regional GDP comes from tourism, the zoo of Palmyre, with his 750 000 entries (including 10% from school) and 9 million € of sales turnover, represents with Futuroscope
Futuroscope
Futuroscope, or Parc du Futuroscope is a French theme park based upon multimedia, cinematographic futuroscope and audio-visual techniques...
of Poitiers
Poitiers
Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque...
(1 200 000 entries) and the Aquarium of La Rochelle
La Rochelle
La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988...
(850 000 entries) 50% of the entries and half of the income of the activities of leisure in the area. It is the zoological gardens of France with the largest number of visitors.
The zoo of La Palmyre
- 14 hectares arranged;
- 130 species;
- 1600 animals;
- 750 000 paying entries per annum;
- 16 000 € necessary each day for the operation of the park;
- 55 employees at the year and 110 in season;
- 9 million € of sales turnover.
Food consumed by the animals
The 1600 animals of Palmyre represents large quantities of food to be fed. For example, each year consumed food is:- 250 tons of fodder and 70 tons of straw consumed by the herbivores, giraffes, elephants, antelopes, zebras, rhinoceros, etc.
- 180 tons of fresh fruit and vegetables soups by the gorillas, orangutans, MarmosetMarmosetMarmosets are the 22 New World monkey species of the genera Callithrix, Cebuella, Callibella, and Mico. All four genera are part of the biological family Callitrichidae. The term marmoset is also used in reference to the Goeldi's Monkey, Callimico goeldii, which is closely related.Most marmosets...
, Ring-tailed LemurRing-tailed LemurThe ring-tailed lemur is a large strepsirrhine primate and the most recognized lemur due to its long, black and white ringed tail. It belongs to Lemuridae, one of five lemur families. It is the only member of the Lemur genus. Like all lemurs it is endemic to the island of Madagascar...
, lemurs, kangaroos, bats, etc. - 50 tons of meat per the carnivores, lions, panthers, tigers, jaguars, lynx, polar bear, etc.
- 30 tons of feeding stuffs compound by the flamingos, monkeys, pandas, etc.
- 20 tons of fish by the otaries, penguins of the course, polar bears, pelicans, otters, etc.
- 10 tons of various seeds, corn, etc., by HornbillHornbillHornbills are a family of bird found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia. They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly-colored and sometimes has a casque on the upper mandible. Both the common English and the scientific name of the family...
, MacawMacawMacaws are small to large, often colourful New World parrots. Of the many different Psittacidae genera, six are classified as macaws: Ara, Anodorhynchus, Cyanopsitta, Primolius, Orthopsittaca, and Diopsittaca...
, Eastern RosellaEastern RosellaThe Eastern Rosella is a rosella native to southeast of the Australian continent and to Tasmania. It has been introduced to New Zealand where feral populations are found in the North Island and in the hills around Dunedin in the South Island.-Taxonomy:The Eastern Rosella was named by...
, calaos, TuracoTuracoThe turacos make up the bird family Musophagidae , which includes plantain-eaters and go-away-birds. In southern Africa both turacos and go-away-birds are commonly known as louries. They are semi-zygodactylous - the fourth toe can be switched back and forth...
, Nicobar PigeonNicobar PigeonThe Nicobar Pigeon, Caloenas nicobarica, is a pigeon found on small islands and in coastal regions from the Nicobar Islands, east through the Malay Archipelago, to the Solomons and Palau. It is the only living member of the genus Caloenas....
s, etc.
Activity at the zoo
The zoo is open all year round, from 9 am till 7 pm from 1 April till 30 September and from 9 am till 6 pm the remainder of the year. The average duration of the visit is established at approximately four hours.The park is entirely accessible to the handicapped people, has free car parking, and offers places for relaxing and eating inside the park.
Attractions
In addition to the presentation of many animals in an environment nearest possible to their natural habitat, the zoo offers from April till the end of October shows of sea lions of California, as well as shows of parrots and cockatoos.The team of the zoo
- Chairman and managing Director: Patrick Caillé
- Veterinary surgeon: Thierry Petit
- Decorator: Nadu Marsaudon
- Architect: Jean Michel Paulet