Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes
The Rotonde, today a home for giant tortoises
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| Date opened | December 11, 1794 |
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| Location | Paris, France |
| Coordinates | 48°50′41″N 2°21′35″E / 48.84472°N 2.35972°ECoordinates: 48°50′41″N 2°21′35″E / 48.84472°N 2.35972°E |
| Land area | 5.5 ha (14 acres) |
| No. of animals | 1,000 |
| Annual visitors | 500,000 |
| Memberships | EAZA |
| Website | www |
The Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes is a zoo in Paris, France, belonging to the botanical garden Jardin des Plantes. It is the second oldest zoological garden in the world (after Tiergarten Schönbrunn). Today it does not have very large animals like elephants, but a lot of rare smaller and medium-sized mammals and a variety of birds and reptiles.
The Zoo is located directly by the Seine in the centre of Paris. It takes up about one third of the Jardin des Plantes.
In the beginning the term Jardin des Plantes referred only to a botanical garden of 58 acres (230,000 m2), created and built by the royal physicians Jean Herouard and Guy de La Rousse. It therefore became known as the royal herb garden. Created in 1626 and opened for the public in 1635, it is the oldest part of the national research and educational institute for science, the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, which was founded in 1793.
In the course of the French Revolution the menagerie was founded in 1793. According to a decision of the National Assembly in 1793, exotic animals in private hands were to be donated to the Menagerie in Versailles or killed, stuffed and donated to the natural scientists of the Jardin des Plantes. However, the scientists let the animals (the exact number of which is unknown) live. In due course the Royal Menagerie in Versailles (ménagerie royale) was dissolved and these animals were also transferred to the Jardin des Plantes. Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre (1737–1814) is considered to be the founder of the menagerie. He was committed to the principles of keeping exotic animals in their natural environment, having regard to their needs, placing them under scientific supervision, and allowing public access in the interest of public education.
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Wikipedia