Lumigny Safari Reserve, Lumigny Zoo

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History

In 1986, Patrick and Thierry Jardin, two enthusiastic brothers fond of nature and wildlife, founded the zoological park CERZA at Lisieux - near Caen in Normandy. This 50-hectare park is devoted to the reproduction and the welfare of endangered species, with more than 500 animals living in spacious and areas that mimic their natural environment, converted especially for them. Since the opening, Cerza' s reputation kept growing - not only with the public, but also with professionals from the world of nature conservation and wildlife protection.

Proud of this success, the Jardin brothers wanted to carry on in that way and so in 1998 they created the first European park dedicated to feline species at Auneau (near Chartres in the Eure-et-Loir department). In this park, visitors discovered many feline species that were seldom on display in zoos, such as margay, fishing cat, clouded leopard and manul or Pallas' cat, alongside the more well-known tigers and lions. During the eight years at Auneau more than 100,000 visitors per year were welcomed in the park, and 80 cubs were born and raised.

Despite this success, director Patrick Jardin and his staff decided to move their cats because at Auneau there was a lack of space (only 8 ha) and possibilities to extend the work on cat conservation and to reach the envisaged goals. So since 1 September 2006, the cats now live in the Seine-et-Marne department at the beautiful 71-hectare woodland estate of “La Fortelle”. Le Parc des Felins opened its gate to the public on 14 October 2006.

The enclosures at Le Parc des Felins are designed in such a way that visitors have maximum opportunities to observe the animals, without visitors’ presence interfering with the daily routines of the animals. The spaces are as large as possible, with vegetation and layout that allow the felines to express their natural behaviours

As of spring 2014 a brand new asset has been added to the Zoo, the Trans'Félins. This train offers a visit to the park which brings the visitor closer to the animals.



The Zoo's success in breeding feline species in large enclosures with a natural environment shows in its breeding track record, with registered first births in France of fishing cat, rusty-spotted cat, Asian golden cat, margay, ocelot, jaguarundi and bobcat.

In 2023, after 37 years in the service of biodiversity conservation, Patrick Jardin retired. However, the family tradition is continued, with Patrick’s 21-year-old nephew Hugo taking over his uncle's role in zoo management.

Le Parc des Felins has moved up on the ladder of zoos that cater for visitors that want the full animal experience. Not only do they have four catering points on the grounds in stead of only one when they opened in 2006, but they now offer what they call safaris and close encounters with live animals. This is a co-operation with their neighbour, Terres des Singes (Land of Monkeys). The safaris are encounters with parrots, lorikeets and squirrel monkeys, while there’s an additional VIP arrangement possible to encounter and experience mealtime of Tamarin monkeys and Barbary macaques. All supervised by zookeepers that provide relevant conservation information as well.

So, not surprisingly, on 1 January 2024, the park was renamed Lumigny Safari Reserve. And something that may top all experiences is the opening mid September 2024 of the hotel ‘Le Royaume des Lions – The Kingdom of the Lions’. Of course all rooms have a view of the King of the Savannah’s enclosure.



(Source: Le Parc des Félins guidebook; website Le Parc des Félins/Lumigny Safari Reserve)

Goal: 7000 tigers in the wild

Tiger range countries map

 

"Tiger map" (CC BY 2.5) by Sanderson et al., 2006.

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about zoos and their mission regarding breeding endangered species, nature conservation, biodiversity and education, while at the same time relates to the evolution of species.