Wombats, kangaroos, emus… Welcome to the animals of the Red Lands!
The opening of The Red Lands is fast approaching, and the first visitors will be able to explore this brand-new area from Saturday 4 April 2026. It’s a chance to enjoy a unique immersion in the heart of the Australian bush, discovering kangaroos, emus, wallabies, wombats and more…
And indeed, this new video offers you a sneak preview of these fascinating animals and lets you witness their arrival in the area.
A brand-new, bespoke attraction
Built on the site of our historic mini-farm, which has been a source of wonder for young and old alike for some twenty years, this brand-new area has been designed to offer you a unique immersive experience.
You’ll be able to enter the territory of around ten red kangaroos, two Australian emus and six Parma wallabies. To ensure an enjoyable experience for everyone, barriers have been installed along the walkway.
Grégory Martin, the ZooParc’s zootechnical manager, who worked with his entire team on the design of these new enclosures, explains: “The animals can choose to come out to meet the visitors, but the visitors themselves cannot enter the animal areas.”
A wonderful opportunity to enjoy an immersive experience, up close with these animals, whilst respecting their welfare!
A river has also been dug out in the heart of this area: it is sure to become the favourite spot for our tufted geese, Radjah’s shelducks and Eyton’s dendrocygnes. What do they have in common? These three species belong to the Anatidae family, which also includes the geese, swans and ducks we are more familiar with.
The rock wallabies, also known as yellow-footed rock wallabies, have their own separate area, built around mounds nearly three metres high using tree trunks. This is indeed a species that frequents rocky outcrops and cliffs at various altitudes! There it finds varied vegetation and numerous crevices or cavities in which to take shelter.
The wombat, a marsupial unique to France
But the real stars of this new enclosure are Sandy and Mersey, the first wombats to be welcomed to France. Despite looking like little bears, they are marsupial mammals, just like kangaroos and koalas: female wombats therefore have a pouch, the distinctive feature of which is that it opens at the back.
Their enclosure has been designed to meet all their biological, physiological and physical needs. Each has an enclosure with varied substrates, including red sand in which they can dig. They also have rocky dens to take refuge in, as well as four shelters within the indoor building. Some of these are visible to visitors, allowing them to be observed without disturbing them.
An arrival organised with the Australian government
The design of these facilities and the arrival of the animals were discussed at length with the Australian government, which provided our teams with numerous technical recommendations. These recommendations covered, in particular, the height of the fences, shelter requirements, the type of feeding bowls, nesting areas, diet and veterinary care.
In addition, some members of our teams received specific training to better understand the needs of wombats, with whom we had never worked before. Two vets therefore travelled to Duisburg Zoo in Germany to undertake specialised training, whilst a keeper from Prague Zoo is working alongside us for a few days following the arrival of these exceptional marsupials, to help us deepen our understanding of them.
Extend the experience at Bucolia, the life-size farm!
On Saturday 4 April, the opening of The Red Lands will coincide with that of our brand-new Bucolia farm. Spanning over a hectare, it will invite visitors of all ages into a living world inspired by farms of yesteryear, where encounters with the animals will take place in a warm and immersive environment. Solognot sheep, Grand Noir du Berry donkeys, Poitou goats, and many other ancient and little-known domestic breeds will make up this unique environment.
I’m coming to discover what’s new
PRACTICAL INFORMATION:
On 4 April, the new areas open: The Red Lands from 8am and Bucolia at 11am.
