Elsien's Traveblogue

Montpellier, Lunaret Zoo and Wildlife Park, Good Friday 2013

In 1910 Henri de Lunaret gave the area to Montpellier who can start to use it after his and his sister's death. She died in 1939 and initially the Agricultural University looks after it until 1964, when it becomes a natural reserve and wildlife park, with a zebra as its first foreign resident.
The park is enlarged a few times and it is now a large natural woodland by the river Lez. The natural reserve is free to walk through. A large number of the animals roams relatively freely too, so wherever you walk, you may catch glimpses of wildlife.
I had forgotten my camera, but found these images on the Internet, with thanks to the original posters.


















It was a beautiful day, like in the pictures, even though it was only the end of March. We walked most of the time in short sleeves. From Lunaret you cannot get right next to the river any more, it has been fenced off, apparently something to do with people bringing their dogs in from that side.
However, you can walk all the way along the Lez from near where we live, with occasional interruptions, but certainly from the Domaine de Méric where the Impressionist painter Frédéric Bazille lived. We'll try the whole walk one of these days!