Zoo du Mont Faron, Feline zoo on Mont Faron, Toulon, France
Zoo du Mont Faron sits on a hilltop above Toulon and focuses on breeding endangered big cat species. The site spreads across grounds with several enclosures that house tigers, lynx, jaguars, and other felines in separated areas.
The facility opened in 1968 with a mission to protect and study large predators. It grew into a major research center in France for breeding and maintaining endangered cat species.
The name comes from Mont Faron, the hilltop where it sits and a landmark for Toulon. You walk through areas designed to show how these big cats behave in their natural settings and learn how local people value their protection.
You can reach the hilltop by cable car or road, giving visitors different options to get there. The grounds are fairly compact to walk through, though it helps to wear proper shoes since some paths go uphill.
The facility focuses especially on lynx and other rare cat species that you rarely see in zoos. Many visitors do not realize that breeding programs here help support populations of such threatened big cats in other countries.
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