| Zoo Name: | French Guiana Zoo | ||||
| Native Name: | Zoo de Guyane | ||||
| Location: | Macouria, French Guiana, France | ||||
| Date Opened: | 1983[1] | ||||
| Num Species: | 75 | ||||
| Num Animals: | 450[2] | ||||
| Annual Visitors: | 44,000 (2013)[3] | ||||
| Website: | zoodeguyane.com | ||||
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The French Guiana Zoo (French: Zoo de Guyane) is a zoo in French Guiana, France. It is located between Macouria and Montsinéry.[2] The zoo opened in 1983 as a hummingbird centre and was called Fauna Flora Amazonica. The zoo closed in 2007, however it was bought, and reopened in 2008.[1] It is open Wednesday to Sunday.[4]
In 1983 Rudolf Watshinger started a hummingbird breeding centre, and called it Fauna Flora Amazonica. In 1985, the centre was turned into a zoo. In 2002, it was bought by the communes Macouria and Montsinéry-Tonnegrande, and in 2007, the zoo closed.[1]
Franck and Angélique Chaulet, the owners of and Jardin de Balata among others, bought the zoo, and it was reopened in 2008 as Zoo de Guyane.[5] In 2014, an aviary with 40 parrots and other birds was built near the entrance, and named after Eugène Bellony who opened the first animal park of French Guiana in the 1930s.[3] In 2013, the zoo was the second most visited attraction in French Guiana after the Salvation Islands.[3]
The collection of the zoo includes several species of monkeys, sloths, anteaters, harpy eagles, caimans, and a large collection of birds. There is a treetop path through the canopy for the children.[6] The French Guiana Zoo is a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria.[5]