Zoo du Bassin d'Arcachon, Wildlife park in La Teste-de-Buch, France.
Zoo du Bassin d'Arcachon is a zoo in La Teste-de-Buch, Gironde, covering 22 hectares with a 4 km visitor route. It keeps around 900 mammals and birds, including hippos and brown bears. It has been accredited by EAZA and the AFdPZ since 2014.
The zoo was created by Bernard Couturier in 1987 and opened to the public in 1989 on a 22-hectare site in La Teste-de-Buch. In 1999 a storm felled 550 trees and wrecked 80% of enclosures and paths, though buildings stayed intact. In July 2022 a forest fire forced the evacuation of around 1,000 animals; 363 were housed on the car park of the Pessac zoo near Bordeaux, about ten died from heat and stress, and the zoo reopened on 6 August.
The zoo is accredited by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) and the French association of zoological parks (AFdPZ). It takes part in the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP), supplying animals for coordinated breeding when this serves genetic diversity. A male giraffe, Tamou, was brought in at the start of 2017 to breed with four females; calves were born in July 2020 and on 24 October 2021.
The zoo is accessible during the warmer months and features walking paths through forested grounds where visitors can see animals in different areas. It is wise to wear comfortable shoes and plan for leisurely exploration.
The zoo holds around 900 animals, mainly mammals and birds, on a 22-hectare site with a 4 km visitor route. It takes part in the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP), supplying animals for coordinated breeding when this serves genetic diversity. In July 2022, 363 of its animals were temporarily housed on the car park of the Pessac zoo near Bordeaux during the Gironde fires.
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