Description
The Bioparco di Roma is the capital's zoo, in the northern part of Villa Borghese: the oldest zoological garden in Italy, with about 1,200 animals of about 150 species among mammals, reptiles and birds. It makes a great day out for families, but also for anyone who wants a green break between one museum and the next.
The project was entrusted to Carl Hagenbeck, a German merchant and animal trainer who had revolutionized zoos in Hamburg: no bars, but moats and rocks that recall natural habitats. The zoo opened on January 5, 1911, after on November 1, 1910 a train from Hamburg had brought about a thousand exotic animals to Termini.
Today the park is visited by area. The Asian section brings together the big cats: the Asiatic lions, in the enclosure designed by Hagenbeck and later enlarged four times, with two big glass windows among the rocks, and the Sumatran tigers, in an area that recreates their habitat.
For children there is the area of the smallest monkeys in the world, with tamarins and pygmy marmosets, and that of the ring-tailed lemurs: three species from Madagascar in 600 square meters. The blue area is devoted to marine life, with African penguins, gray seals and California sea lions.
There are also white rhinos, in a large circular enclosure of about 2,600 square meters, reticulated giraffes and Komodo dragons. The Bioparco is the only facility in Italy to house Sumatran tigers.
The architecture deserves a look too. The Giraffe House is the shelter that has been there since the opening, rebuilt in Moorish style in 1926. The Great Aviary, geodesic and made of stainless steel, is 21.5 meters high and was designed in 1935 by Raffaele De Vico, the same architect as the Reptile House, which has three levels.
Success, however, was not guaranteed at first. Between the Libyan war and the Great War the company that ran it went bankrupt in 1915 and the Comune took over its management.
In 1994 came the turning point: from zoo to bioparco, with more attention to species conservation and education. Many animals were moved to give the others more space, and the gorillas went to Bristol Zoo in 2000.
Don't miss
• The Asiatic lions.
• The Sumatran tigers.
• The Giraffe House.
• The ring-tailed lemurs.
Did you know?
• In 1913 a tram line was created just to reach the zoo.
• This is where artificial feeding of an Asian elephant calf was first tried.
• The Civic Museum of Zoology was born in 1932 in the old restaurant.
The project was entrusted to Carl Hagenbeck, a German merchant and animal trainer who had revolutionized zoos in Hamburg: no bars, but moats and rocks that recall natural habitats. The zoo opened on January 5, 1911, after on November 1, 1910 a train from Hamburg had brought about a thousand exotic animals to Termini.
Today the park is visited by area. The Asian section brings together the big cats: the Asiatic lions, in the enclosure designed by Hagenbeck and later enlarged four times, with two big glass windows among the rocks, and the Sumatran tigers, in an area that recreates their habitat.
For children there is the area of the smallest monkeys in the world, with tamarins and pygmy marmosets, and that of the ring-tailed lemurs: three species from Madagascar in 600 square meters. The blue area is devoted to marine life, with African penguins, gray seals and California sea lions.
There are also white rhinos, in a large circular enclosure of about 2,600 square meters, reticulated giraffes and Komodo dragons. The Bioparco is the only facility in Italy to house Sumatran tigers.
The architecture deserves a look too. The Giraffe House is the shelter that has been there since the opening, rebuilt in Moorish style in 1926. The Great Aviary, geodesic and made of stainless steel, is 21.5 meters high and was designed in 1935 by Raffaele De Vico, the same architect as the Reptile House, which has three levels.
Success, however, was not guaranteed at first. Between the Libyan war and the Great War the company that ran it went bankrupt in 1915 and the Comune took over its management.
In 1994 came the turning point: from zoo to bioparco, with more attention to species conservation and education. Many animals were moved to give the others more space, and the gorillas went to Bristol Zoo in 2000.
Don't miss
• The Asiatic lions.
• The Sumatran tigers.
• The Giraffe House.
• The ring-tailed lemurs.
Did you know?
• In 1913 a tram line was created just to reach the zoo.
• This is where artificial feeding of an Asian elephant calf was first tried.
• The Civic Museum of Zoology was born in 1932 in the old restaurant.