Date opened 1992 No. of animals ~1,000 Website www.planetesauvage.com Area 130 ha | Land area 130 ha (320 acres) No. of species ~150 Opened 1992 Phone +33 2 40 04 82 82 | |
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Hours Closed today TuesdayClosedWednesdayClosedThursdayClosedFridayClosedSaturday10AM–6PMSunday10AM–6PMMondayClosedSuggest an edit Similar Zoo de la Flèche, Zoo La Boissiere du Dore, ZooParc de Beauval, Zoo and Botanical Garden of, Great Aquarium Saint‑Malo Profiles | ||
Planète Sauvage ([pla.nɛt so.vaʒ], Wild Planet in English) is a zoological park situated in the French Atlantic coast, in Port-Saint-Père near Nantes, in the Loire-Atlantique departement. Founded in 1992 by Monique and Dany Laurent and known as the Safari Africain until 1998, it is then operated by the Compagnie des Alpes between 2005 and 2015. It is since that date the property of the multinational company Looping Group, which main shareholder is a Belgian private equity fund of the Groupe Bruxelles Lambert. Its director is Philippe Vignaud.
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It covers about 80 hectares (200 acres) of land, where almost 1,000 animals of about 150 species live, and is blended of a safari part visible by car and of a pedestrian part which includes one of the three dolphinariums of metropolitan France, where bottlenose dolphins are presented. Since 2008 it receives between 200,000 and 322,000 visitors each year. Although it's not a member of the EAZA, it cooperates with researchers and finances wildlife conservation NGOs.
It has been at the heart of several controversies since its opening, about a temporary human zoo in 1994, an adjourned dolphinarium project in 1998, the captivity conditions of its dolphins, which three of them have died, since 2007, and the transfer of macaques to a research laboratory practicing vivisection, in 2014.
History
The Safari Track
With their own car, visitors follow the track near animals for 10 kilometres (6.2 mi). The safari trail is divided into 15 parts where giraffes, lions, wolves, bears, elephants and much more can be seen. The zoo is currently home to four elephants.
Visitors can also take the "4x4 Off Road Adventure" led by a guide that will get them even closer to the animals.
The pedestrian part
There are different parts:
The "Bivouac"
The adventure can continue at the bivouac. This service includes a 4x4 off road trip to attend the return of the animals, dinner at the campfire, a night spent near the animals, and a breakfast.
Research
Planète Sauvage is a park that is involved in different research programs. In partnership with recognized scientists organisations (the CNRS, the University of Rennes ethology), the park is studying communication whistled in the dolphin and the social factors that influence it.