"I remember a well-maintained zoo, where the animals were treated with care. During the months of July and August, it was very busy," recalls MF, former mayor of the town. This opinion seems to be widely shared, given the many memories that emerge.
"The zoo was mainly populated by felines, with a few bears, but the living conditions were questionable," he reports.
“I remember a horrible bear pit, completely made of concrete, with no stimulation and terribly overcrowded!”
"When I visited in 1995, the park had a pair of lions, another pair of jaguars, and 4 or 5 brown bears in a concrete pit. I also remember a dromedary in a large wooden cage near the playground. At the time, the owners had mentioned financial difficulties (lack of subsidies) and therefore the impossibility of making improvements. They were passionate about animals, but their vision of the zoo was no longer in line with current standards. Fortunately, the park closed its doors in 2002, but I find this late given the cramped size of the enclosures and the lack of change in 20 years. It was a different time..."
Indeed, today, more than two years after its acquisition, the departmental council has undertaken to rehabilitate the road leading to the Puy de Dôme. Considered a black spot on the landscape, a blemishes according to the mayor of Orcines, Jean-Marc Morvan, the road has been redesigned after asbestos removal work, archaeological excavations, my intervention and that of the bulldozers. This is how a new era begins, where sheep have replaced wolves.
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