It is one of the most beautiful zoos in the world, 4th according to the Trip Advisor website. In the heart of a region rich in exceptional tourist sites, it is the one that attracts the most: 2 million visitors, for the year 2022 alone, a record. And of the 800 species it houses, some are not present anywhere else in France, we obviously think of pandas, but this is also the case of koalas or even the Tasmanian devil. This site is the Zoo Parc de Beauval, in Loir-et-Cher.

The park was created in 1980 by Françoise Delord to initially house the birds she loved so much. “We had 300 in our Paris apartment!”, recalls Rodolphe Delord, his son, president and CEO of the family business. Little by little, thanks to often colossal investments and work, Beauval has been growing and is preparing to gain another 2 hectares in April 2023 until it reaches 45 hectares.

Because the years 2022 and 2023 were once again those of large investments: 60 million euros in two years, to support the “Dreams” by Rodolphe Delord, about fifteen small and large projects. At the center of these projects, the most emblematic is the South American aviary, the largest in Europe with almost 2 hectares, which will house between 500 and 600 birds. “born in Beauval or in other zoos”and about thirty mammals, as of April 15, 2023. “A tribute to mom”He passed away in December 2021, indicates who continues to run the park with family and passion.

Discover the South American aviary project and information about other projects of the group in the rest of the article.