Date Opened: | 1961 |
Location: | Doué-la-Fontaine, Maine-et-Loire, France |
Coordinates: | 47.19°N -0.3°W |
Area: | 14ha |
Num Animals: | 1000 |
Num Species: | 100 |
Annual Visitors: | 274,599[1] |
Members: | EAZA |
Website: | http://www.bioparc-zoo.fr/en/ |
The Zoo de Doué (formally Bioparc de Doué-la-Fontaine) is a 14ha zoo that opened in 1961 in Doué-la-Fontaine, Maine-et-Loire, France.
The zoo is home to some 1,000 individual animals representing about 100 species, and is a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA). The property is on the site of a former shelled sedimentary rock quarry, with evidence of this being visible in many enclosures; however, the zoo uses these unique features advantageously for the animals, as the landscape and topography it creates provides animal enrichment, hiding places, caves, lookout points, and elevated nesting sites for birds (such as in the aviaries). The entire park is connected by a series of old quarry tunnels and pathways, with sprawling vines and mosses draping over the walls.