經過六年漫長的準備工作，巴黎動物園在2014年重新披上了新的面貌。
動物園對你來說可能就只是一群動物被限制在一個狹小的環境，根本沒有充足的空間給他們自由活動；為了突破這個對動物不友善的環境，巴黎動物園做出了與其他動物園不一樣的設計，只為了讓動物們可以依然享受著他們該有的生活。
動物園的第一塊拼圖是，複製動物原生棲息地的特性，而打造出個別專屬的環境，讓動物有種在「家」的感覺。觀光路線遊走世界的五大區域：從南美洲的巴塔哥尼亞到薩赫爾平原，歐洲到熱帶地區的圭亞那和馬達加斯加，五種地理區域涵蓋動物園14.5公頃(36畝)，大約1000隻動物，擁有180種動物種類。
相較於世界上其他城市的動物園；柏林動物園，擁有高達1,500個不同物種以及19,500隻動物，而臺灣的台北木柵動物園，棲養400種物種以及3,300隻動物；因此巴黎動物園所擁有的動物並不多，由於專業倫理以及動物保護議題的因素，所以確保動物有個舒適的環境生存、充足的空間活動。另外，在物種的挑選上，不只是因為它們在熱門排行榜上，更是因為它們具有一些教育及科學上的價值；巴黎動物園根據世界自然保護聯盟標準（IUCN ），瀕臨絕種的動物需為被選入第一順位，以致於動物園能夠給予它們最完善的照顧與保護，為了能夠永續保護經營，科學教育以及動物保護學家必須持續觀察這些瀕絕物種。進一步來說，巴黎動物園並不像其他動物園一樣目地性的娛樂參觀者，他們是將目光放得更高更遠『希望教育人們尊重生物的多樣性。』
猶太神學家 亞伯拉罕˙赫舍爾曾說過「驚喜是知識的前奏」，而這是來呼籲公眾對於大自然保護的意識。當然巴黎動物園並非完美，有些比較少數的動物在這個大環境當中難以被受到嚴密的看顧，多少會有些沮喪，但動物園不斷以教育為本的精神傳達給個個來參觀的人『我們不能夠隨意的拋棄或使用大自然，因為它很脆弱、總有一天會被耗盡；我們應該珍惜我們擁有的，因為大自然的事物就是這麼純粹的美。』
Following 6 long years of restoration works, Paris zoo re-opened in 2014 with the willingness to make something different.
When you think of zoos, you probably think of cages too small to allow for proper exercise and social interaction, but this menagerie wants to distinguish itself by offering animals the best conditions possible for their welfare, and it has done so in different ways.
The first one is the set up of landscapes which “replicate the animals’ native habitats”. The visitor trail passes through five regions of the world: from Patagonia to the Sahel-Sudan plain, from Europe to the tropical scenery of Guyana and Madagascar. Those five major geographical zones cover an area of 14.5 hectares (36 acres) that allow to accommodate 180 species of animals, with about a thousand individuals.
That may sound like a lot but to give you an idea of the scale, the Berlin zoological garden(which holds the most comprehensive collection of species in the world to this day) is home to 1,500 species and 19,500 total animals. In Taiwan, Taipei Zoo has only 400 species and 3,200 total animals. This is the consequence of some species not being here, due to ethical issues and animal welfare requirements for comfortable living conditions, as the proper circumstances for keeping them in captivity could not be provided due to “lack of space and technical issues”. Also, species were chosen not only according to their appeal, but to their “educational and scientific value and according to the IUCN”(International Union for the Conservation of Nature) conservation criteria, meaning that priority has been given to endangered species. To complete the picture, an important team of scientists, veterinary and animal keepers are there to keep an eye on those singular residents. But animals’ well-being is obviously not the only purpose of the place and like any other zoo it aims to entertain the audience, however, it has the ambition to go further being both “a player and a tool as regards educating people in respect for biodiversity”.
As Abraham Heschel once said, “wonder is the prelude to knowledge” and this promotes public awareness of nature conservation.
Of course this park is not perfect, the small amount of animals in those large areas sometimes makes it difficult to spot them, sometimes it is not possible at all. It can be frustrating but this zoo carries an educational ambition and there in lies its fundamental lesson. We can’t dispose of nature as we wish, because it’s fragile, because it’s exhaustible. We should just cherish what it gives us, because it’s beautiful.
