A family history in the heart of an exceptional natural site
Founded in 1970
by André Pons, an agricultural engineer with a passion for animals, the La Barben Animal Park covers 33 hectares of unspoilt nature in the heart of Provence.
In its early days, the park presented a large number of very diverse European species. By evolving over the years at the same time as the role of the parks itself has been transformed, the management of the Barben Animal Park has chosen to prioritise the animal welfare and physiological needs of its residents by welcoming fewer species and doing everything possible to preserve their living conditions.
Today,
It is the grandchildren who have taken over and continue to manage the park, thus continuing the family adventure and constantly developing this private company of 50 employees recognized in the profession.
The exceptional site of the park, positioned in a Natura 2000 area, presents on a limestone terrain a typical Mediterranean vegetation. Beautiful natural cliffs enrich the landscape, a river flows on the outskirts. Aware of the beauty and richness of this biotope, the entire park team is actively working to conserve, develop and make known this natural setting.
The La Barben Animal Park is the largest animal park in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, welcoming more than 300,000 visitors per year.
Our founding values
- Take concrete action for conservation and animal welfare.
- To pass on to future generations the desire to understand and protect nature.
- Improving and expanding animal spaces that promote animal welfare
- Preserve natural and recreational spaces for visitors.
- To raise public awareness of the beauty and fragility of living things.
All the members of the team share the conviction that a modern animal park is above all a place of reconnection with nature, where each visitor becomes an actor in the preservation of living things.
