Scene: mealtime at The Menagerie, the Jardin des Plantes zoo. The regal Himalayan Vulture is being served his dejeuner and the presentation is definitely up to Parisian standards. Looks like tartare du porc complimented by green grape halves, cubed cantalope, carrots rappe, orange halves and cucumber.

In 1793 the National Assembly ordered all exotic animals in private hands to be donated to the Menagerie Royale at Versailles. Upon its closure in 1802 the animals were transferred to the Jardin des Plantes. The animals are housed in small log cabins with mud and thatched roofs inspired by Marie Antoinette’s hameau at Versailles.

The oldest civil zoo in the world houses 240 mammals – orangutans, snow leopards, red pandas … 390 birds, 210 turtles, crocodiles, lizards and snakes, 140 amphibians, 900 insects, crustaceans and spiders.

How to get there:
Metro, RER:
M5 : Austerlitz – M7 : Censier Daubenton – M 10 : Jussieu ou Austerlitz – RER C

Address: rue Cuvier, rue Buffon, rue Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire, place Valhubert
Bus:
Lines 24, 57, 61, 63, 67, 89 et 91 – Batobus : arrêt Jardin des Plantes

For more to see in the gardens, consult your No Worries Paris guidebook.