PYRENEES ANIMAL PARK

Founded by Serge Mounard, and sponsored by Nicolas Vanier, this vast 14-hectare hillside park is home to over 500 animals and 120 wild species, including bears, wolves and lynx. Initially dedicated to the local wildlife of the Pyrenees, it now ranks as one of the most beautiful parks in France. It is home to giant otters, isards and the site's mascots, the famous marmots, as well as ibex, vultures, fallow deer, roe deer and squirrels, all of which live in semi-liberty in a natural environment, or one that has been redesigned to reflect their usual surroundings. The Forêts du Monde area plunges you into the heart of tropical forests. You can admire the pirouettes of the European otters in a huge pool, in underwater vision, and further away, the antics of the saïmiris. The park also educates visitors about the protection of some of the world's most endangered species, such as the Bali starling. Your itinerary is well signposted, from the heart of the pack to the land of the bears, where, by following the course of the water, you can get close to nature. You move from one area to the next: a wild gallery presenting scenes from the life of African, American and European fauna in hyper-realistic reconstructions, amplified by real soundscapes. You then immerse yourself in lush aviaries and observe the most gifted fishing birds of our continent: grebes, mergansers, goldeneyes and eiders lead you in a frenzied fishing party, overflown by the magical ballet of terns. It's a fabulous experience. This exceptional park is also committed to saving the brown bear, bearded vulture, Iberian ibex and Egyptian vulture. You can help them by contacting the Pyrénées Conservation endowment fund to participate in various conservation, reintroduction and awareness-raising projects. To prolong the magic, you can sleep in one of the 4 ecologdes: the Refuge with black wolves, the Tanière with bears, the Cabane du Trappeur with gray wolves and the Asian lodge with red pandas. For the purists, opt to become a soigneur for a day, to discover this profession. An immersive experience guaranteed, with meal preparation, access to the enclosures and contact with the red pandas! A 30-minute VIP experience is also available, where you can dare to enter the enclosures of marmots, meerkats, red pandas and lemurs.