The Menagerie / Jardins des Plantes

With its astonishing architectural elements (mainly dating from the 18th and 19th centuries), the Ménagerie is the world’s oldest zoo that retains its original appearance. It offers 4,500 m2 (48,400 sq. ft) of greenery which is home to a thousand animals.

• A place of history, a place to stroll through..

The Ménagerie at the Jardin des Plantes was created in 1794, 6 years after the death of the Comte de Buffon. At the time, the animals came from the Royal Menagerie at Versailles, the menagerie of the Duc d'Orléans as well as from the seizure of fairground animals, since the use of animals in street entertainment had recently been banned. Other buildings, enclosures and improvements were added over the years: notably the bear den in 1805, the first big cats enclosure (since demolished) in 1821, the semi-circular pheasantry in 1827, the reptiles gallery in 1870, a wintering building in 1905, an ape house, transformed into a nursery in 1928, etc. The Ménagerie continues to evolve today: new animal accommodation and renovation work is underway, at the rotunda, great aviary or reptiles gallery, for example.

A careful visit to the big cats, a greeting to the bears in their dens, contemplating the swans or herons in their aviary or nervous shivers in the reptiles gallery: the recreational aim of the park is obvious. But the Ménagerie also allows studies into the behaviour and procreation of rare species to be carried out as part of international collaborations. Researchers can extend their knowledge here, in particular, experts in physiology (studying the body and its functions), pathology (concentrating on diseases, their causes and symptoms), genetics (researching the origins of species) or ethology (studying behaviour). The Ménagerie participates in many projects concerned with breeding animals that have already disappeared or are in danger of disappearing from their natural environments. This is the case for the little Przewalski horses which are no longer found in the wild. For certain species, there are even plans to reintroduce them to their zones of origin.

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