Bioparco di Roma is a zoological garden located on part of the original Villa Borghese estate in Rome, Italy. There are 1,114 animals of 222 species maintained.
History The zoo was conceived in 1908 to hold exotic animal species for exhibition. Unlike other zoos at the time, which mainly existed for scientific purposes, this zoo was designed to entertain and amuse people. The zoo covered and was erected in the northern part of the Villa Borghese estate; it opened on 5 January 1911.
The zoo was designed by Carl Hagenbeck, who had already opened a zoo in Hamburg Stellingen. The park was built in the same style as the zoo in Hamburg: ditches and pits instead of bars, and generous green spaces.
This initial success was very short-lived. Attempts were made to stock the zoo with especially rare and exotic animals. Various park expansions were undertaken, and in 1926, a further expansion was planned into the neighbouring red deer park. In 1933, the architect Raffaele De Vico began his work on the new areas, which were to hold two main attractions: the large aviary and the reptile house which opened in 1935.
The zoo began to deteriorate, although many areas were renovated and others were fully rebuilt. In 1970, the reptile house had to be closed due to its deteriorating condition; renovations took about nine years and it was finally re-opened in 1983.
The idea to transform the zoo into a biopark was first suggested in 1994. In 1997, a master plan was produced based on the principles of the Gilman Foundation. In April 1998, the organisation Bioparco S.p.A. was established to be financed through the city of Rome with 51%, from Costa Edutainment with 39%, and from Cecchi Gori with 10%.
It is the oldest zoo in Italyhttps://siviaggia .it/viaggi/europa/bioparco-zoo-natura-animali/3458/ and hosts approximately animals of approximately 150 different species including mammals, reptiles and birds on a total area of approximately 155480m2.
Animals As of 2022:
List
Mammals
Red-necked wallaby Big hairy armadillo Capybara Patagonian mara Asian small-clawed otter Binturong Meerkat Eurasian lynx Persian leopard Tiger Sumatran tiger Asiatic lion Eurasian wolf African wild dog Fennec fox Maned wolf Brown bear South American coati California sea lion Grey seal Ring-tailed lemur Black lemur Red ruffed lemur Pygmy marmoset Cotton-top tamarin Emperor tamarin Tufted capuchin White-collared mangabey Japanese macaque Mandrill Lar gibbon Chimpanzee Orangutan Asian elephant South American tapir Southern white rhinoceros Turkmenian kulan Waterbuck Common eland Wildebeest Greater kudu Yak Grévy's zebra Grant's zebra Hippopotamus Pygmy hippopotamus Red river hog Bactrian camel Guanaco Vicuña Reticulated giraffe Banteng European bison European mouflon Wild goat Himalayan tahr Nile lechwe Addax Dama gazelle
Birds
Common ostrich Emu Southern cassowary Greater rhea Crested guineafowl Indian peafowl Common shelduck Ruddy shelduck Egyptian goose Cape Barren goose Trumpeter swan Black swan Greylag goose Barnacle goose Mallard Pied avocet African penguin Great white pelican Dalmatian pelican Pink-backed pelican Eurasian spoonbill Roseate spoonbill African sacred ibis Northern bald ibis Scarlet ibis Cattle egret Marabou stork White stork Black stork Greater flamingo Grey crowned crane Salmon-crested cockatoo Blue-and-gold macaw Red-fronted macaw Abyssinian ground hornbill Golden eagle Mountain caracara Egyptian vulture Lappet-faced vulture Rüppell's vulture White-backed vulture King vulture Tawny owl Eurasian eagle-owl Snowy owl
Reptiles
Aldabra giant tortoise Alligator snapping turtle Elongated tortoise Giant musk turtle Kleinmann's tortoise Malayan box turtle Pancake tortoise Radiated tortoise Red-footed tortoise Spider tortoise Vietnamese pond turtle Smooth-fronted caiman Dwarf crocodile Nile crocodile Komodo dragon Blue-tongued skink Gila monster Philippine sailfin lizard Spiny-tailed monitor Standing's day gecko Common agama Rough-scaled lizard Cuban rock iguana Madagascan collared iguana Utila spiny-tailed iguana Ornate uromastyx Boa constrictor Green anaconda Yellow anaconda Madagascar tree boa Pacific ground boa Carpet python Central African rock python Sumatran short-tailed python Horned viper
Gallery
Notes
External links
Bioparco di Roma on zooinstitutes.com