Deer Park

When the park’s zoo was created in 1858, deer were among the very first animals introduced here. The current herd is said to descend from around twenty deer brought to the park at that time, and it has remained in the same area of the park for more than 160 years. This continuity is what makes the place so special: beyond simply observing the animals, you are looking at one of the last living reminders of the early days of Lyon’s zoo. The presence of deer in Europe also tells a much older story. Today, the fallow deer is one of the most widespread deer species in parks, large estates, and certain European forests. Yet it had almost disappeared from the continent at the end of the last Ice Age, around 10,000 years ago. The species was introduced or reintroduced to many regions as early as Antiquity and later during the Middle Ages, notably for hunting and to decorate parks. Over time, some animals that escaped or were intentionally released went on to form wild populations. And that’s the story of this elegant animal.