Happy events at Pairi Daiza

Pairi Daiza is a vast area, covering more than 70 hectares and divided into thematic zones in which more than 7,000 animals from 700 species roam quite freely. Some of these animals are threatened or even extinct in their natural habitat.

This spring, it was the fawn of a pair of Père David's deer that was first to arrive in the "Middle Kingdom", the area of the park reserved for Asian species. This species of deer, which owes its western name to the missionary and naturalist Armand David, has been officially declared "extinct in the wild" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The birth of the fawn is excellent news, as this species now only exists in captivity. The genetic diversity of this species has thus been preserved; attempts have been made, so far without success, to reintroduce it to China, its natural environment until the 19th century.

A few days later, two golden takins were born. These emblematic ungulates of the Chinese and Bhutanese mountains are listed as species that are endangered due to human activity. Combining the agility of a mountain goat and the muscular strength of a bull, this powerful animal with its shiny golden coat is said to have inspired the Greek myth of the Golden Fleece.

Let's hope that we will soon be able to admire them in this park, which normally welcomes more than two million visitors a year.