Zoo de Guadeloupe au Parc des Mamelles — Attraction in Basse-Terre

The lemur experience was amazing (you get to walk into their enclosure and sometimes they come up to you - there's a second lemur enclosure that you can't go into, so hopefully that means they only put the ones that are okay with humans in the first one), and I like that they limit how much raccoons can be fed by visitors as a lot of places overfed their animals for money. They did have some birds, but they were all in enclosures with other animals, giving them more freedom to fly than usual. I'm personally against any birds in cages as they need way more space than we're capable of giving them, but this was a good compromise.

A star is knocked off for their nocturnal animals being right on the path though. Another is off for them not having anywhere to hide from the light and visitors. One was desperately trying to hide its face in order to sleep, and that hurt to see. I would much rather him be away from the public, with a video up showing his enclosure during the previous night. Like a "live" camera with a 12 hour delay.

But all the animals did look healthy, and none of them were pacing restlessly or pulling out their feathers. I would visit again if I was in the area. Whatever your opinion on zoos, they can't better care for their animals if they don't have the money, and this one I believe is a good one worth...

A fun small zoo, great for kids, also nice for adults with a representative group of tropical animals in a jungle setting. We had planned to visit the Deshaies Botanical Garden but it was a mob scene by the time we arrived (11 am), so we pressed on via the small, winding, hairpin turns and switchbacks to the Zoo. It was worth it for an uncrowded visit to this charming zoo. For the more adventurous and very able bodied, there are scary suspended walkways which I thought were intended to provide a unique perspective on the animals below, but the only animals below are tortoises near the very end of the 14 long, swaying walkways. I wouldn’t bother with the walkways unless you want a thrill as they sway considerably in a strong wind, which there was the day we visited. Bear in mind, there is no turning back once you embark on the walkways (one way only as there isn’t really room to go back with others coming along behind), so you are in it for all 14 of the progressively...

The visitor experience is great, but the animal welfare standards seem seriously outdated. The zoo is laid out as a one-way system snaking through beautiful woodland and over enclosures via elaborate suspended walkways. It's a memorable and original approach. Some of the signage is in English and French, but most is in french only. The experience for the residents is a different story: the enclosures are sometimes comically small, especially for the birds and primates.

You need to be good on your feet: all paths are often steep, sometimes uneven or slippery and occasionally wobbly on the suspension bridges. Under 8s are not permitted on the overhead walkway, but a similarly designed playground is provided instead. Over a third of the circuit is spent on the treetop walkways - around 30 minutes - so they are to be avoided if you...