Beauval Zoo in Saint-Aignan, central France, inaugurated its South American Great Aviary on Saturday, which is claimed by Beauval to be the largest aviary in Europe.
According to the zoo, the aviary houses more than 500 birds and around 30 mammals. It is 36 metres high, and covers an area of 1.6 hectares.
“This project was born two years ago, with a few months of studies and twelve months of work. (…) It’s a crazy, grandiose project,” said Rodolphe Delord, the zoo's director. He added that the new attraction cost €14 million to build.
Visits to the aviary are conducted via walkways and monkey bridges, suspended at a height of 6 to 10 metres above the ground. “I wanted visitors to be suspended in the air. (…) Birds will pass below and above them. (…) The animals are at home. The visitors cannot descend to the ground,” Delord added.
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A total of 33 species of South American birds are gathered in the aviary, including Chilean whistlers, blue-throated penelopes, yellow-necked urubus or ibises, Cuban red flamingos and crested cariamas.
These species, “which interbreed in the wild”, will help recreate the “symbioses” that are created in their natural environment in South America, said Teddy Depie, the site’s bird manager.
Several mammals, including giant anteaters and red coatis, are also free to roam the aviary, as are three species of monkey: red howlers, Colombian black atelas (spider monkeys) and sakis.
All the animals were born at Beauval or in captivity in other zoos around the world, the zoo said.
According to its director, Beauval received more than two million visitors in 2022. The zoo also currently features five giant pandas on loan from China.
