This story, which sounds like an urban legend, is actually very real. It all began in 1984, on March 7 to be precise. On spotting a strange animal under the Rue du Pont-Neuf in the heart of Paris, the sewage department alerted the fire department. They succeeded in capturing the 80cm-long reptile, which was then taken to the Menagerie at the Jardin des Plantes. There, the species was identified as a Nile crocodile, probably abandoned by its owner. According to the vet's estimates, it could have lived for one to two months in this state, feeding on rats and garbage.
La Menagerie du Jardin des Plantes, the oldest zoo in Paris
The Menagerie, or rather the zoo of the Jardin des Plantes, belongs to the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle. Located next to the famous Jardin des Plantes, it's not only the oldest zoo in Paris, opened in 1794, it's also an area well worth a visit. Every day, hundreds of animals live in 5.5 hectares of greenery. Come and discover them! [Read more]
They named her Éléonore and transferred her to her new home, theVannes aquarium in Brittany's Morbihan region, in the midst of a scenography reminiscent of the sewers of Paris. For some thirty years, she lived a solitary life there, growing to over 4 meters in length before moving to the crocodile farm in Pierrelatte, in the Drôme region of France. A change that would prove fatal for Eleonore, who died in May 2021 at the age of 38.
La Menagerie du Jardin des Plantes, the oldest zoo in Paris
