The faces of la Garenne

Founded in 1965, the Park of la Garenne offers visitors the faces of a wild and inaccessible nature for the common man. Large predators live close to powerful birds of prey and children marvel at the sight of animals they only knew until then through the fairy tales read to them by their parents before falling asleep. La Garenne actively participates in the protection and reproduction of species extinct or endangered in their natural environment within the framework of targeted reintroduction programmes.

Did you know?

The wolf is the first wild animal to have been domesticated by man more than 33,000 years ago. All current breeds of dogs are descended from him. Throughout history, the wolf has always fascinated humans and can be found in the myths and legends of all the civilisations that have come into contact with it. But it has also aroused irrational and tenacious fears and hatreds that led to its extermination in many areas where its territory conflicted with that of humans. Programmes are currently underway to reintroduce the wolf into some of its traditional habitats where it contributes to the maintenance of a healthy and balanced nature through its status as a natural predator.

Did you know?

The wolf is a social animal that lives in highly hierarchical groups (called packs). It is monogamous and couples generally stay together for the rest of their lives.

Did you know?

The bearded vulture is one of the largest birds in the world with a wingspan up to three metres. Its habitat extends over the high rocky mountains of three continents (Europe, Asia, Africa). Described as diabolical and called Satan's bird in the Alps, the Bearded Vulture was persecuted until it was completely eradicated at the end of the 19th century. It is now the subject of programmes aiming at reintroducing it in its natural habitat where its beauty and the elegance of its flight are admired by all those lucky enough to see it.

Did you know?

The powerful beak of the bearded vulture allows it to feed on bones that other vultures do not have the strength to break. It waits patiently for its turn and is usually the last to feed on carcasses, after mammals and other birds of prey. When a bone is too large to be broken with its beak, the bearded vulture flies away with it, dropping it on the rocks and collecting the debris to eat.

Did you know?

The popular expression "lynx-eyed" for outstanding visual acuity does not refer to the animal itself, whose vision, although good, remains very ordinary in comparison with that of other felines. In fact, the expression stems from a confusion made in the Middle Ages with the mythological character Lyncheus, the pilot of the Argo ship that led Jason (and the Argonauts) in the quest for the legendary Golden Fleece. Each of the Argonauts had a gift, and Lyncheus had been given the gift of seeing through mists and clouds, down to the bottom of the sea and even through walls and rocks to the centre of the earth. It was simply the confusion between the name of Jason's companion and that of the feline that gave rise, in popular parlance, to the expression lynx-eyed.