Animal Park

A few weeks ago, we decided to take probably our longest drive away from town and visit Parc Animalier d'Auvergne. It's a small zoo: 350 animals,70 species, 30 hectares (74 acres), elevation 2500 ft., but it would be an outside day trip so off we went. 

It opened in 1984 but did change hands in 2012.

The walkways through the zoo total only 2.5 miles but from their website: 

"The Parc Animalier d'Auvergne is built on the side of the mountain over a vertical drop of around 200m (656 ft) with some slopes of more than 20%. . . . There are dirt roads or small stones in the park. Likewise, rains and thunderstorms constantly displace nature when you are on a mountain and you can occasionally find branches, stones and earth on the paths. This is why we are selling a very discounted ticket for our visitors in wheelchairs."

An interesting spot was home for siamangs and white cheeked/white handed gibbons. This is a newer enclosure and it shows. Part of the animals' range includes the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. The sign says that houses like these would be found in the Barison Mountains all along the western edge of Sumatra-- built by the Batak people of Indonesia. These houses are built primarily of wood and bamboo and have thatched roofs. Interestingly, they are built without nails. I like to think they just sort of float in place. Even earthquakes can shake them, but afterward the structure settles back down. Of course, a major earthquake might cause damage. In Jakarta, there was a lady who sold beads in her home. Her home was also built without nails, though I don't believe it was Batak. 

They had giraffes. The signage was interesting.

Specific collection information and updates was included sometimes as well. I liked that. The signage included whiteboard space to add updates.

Red river hogs.

Pretty view !

Red pandas for the red panda lovers of the world!

We saw the sign but the critter ( a "southern pudu") was elusive!

There are a few walk-thru enclosures, for example, a "lemur forest." Before we actually entered the area, we had seen the animal care staff walking the lemurs out and up the hill into the enclosure area. It was cute- like a small parade. The area is large so the animals weren't obvious except for these guys resting in a sunny spot.

The signage is only in French.

We also saw these guys near the walk-thru exit. Animal care staff were inside the building.

Another interesting spot was all about bats! The bats live in the remains of a structure built during WWI. Intended to house those suffering from tuberculosis, it was never used. Much of the building stones were eventually sold off but the rest of the structure was abandoned. Several colonies of bats moved in! You can't see them but they say if it's very quiet, you can hear them.

Note: in what looks like a brown building at the left are several apiaries. Native plants are planted nearby. The area is surrounded by a windowed "fence" to protect it from visitors. However, with the windows, visitors can look in.

Here are a few details of the drive out to this zoo on a gorgeous day.

Another photo of Montpeyroux- we visited here months ago.

Hilltop village.

A bustling village we drove through. The roads are very, very narrow.

There was a particularly curvy section of roadway.

This may be one of the big regions in which sunflowers are grown. I assume they are being grown for oil. Knowing nothing about sunflower farming, I looked up a few things and learned that this is the time of year that the sunflowers die out and soon the seeds will be harvested. We saw so many fields! 

Another hilltop village. 

It was such a pretty day!