The Besançon Museum The animal exhibits

Ecrevisse des torrents – Austropotamobius torrentium :
présente en Europe de l’Est et plus que dans quelques ruisseaux français, en danger critique d’extinction, Liste Rouge France 2012, fait partie d’un programme d’élevage à des fins de réintroduction. © Muséum de Besançon

Apron du Rhône – Zingel asper :
présent en France et en Suisse, en danger critique d’extinction Liste Rouge Franche-Comté 2014, fait partie du Plan National d’Actions menant des élevages à des fins de réintroduction. © Jacky RENARD / Muséum de Besançon

Salamandre tachetée – Salamandra salamandra :
présente dans toute l’Europe, préoccupation mineure Liste Rouge France 2020, espèce menacée de disparition par un champignon pathogène. © Frédéric RAVENOT CEN

Criquet de Crau :
présent dans la plaine de Crau en France (dans les Bouches du Rhône), en danger critique d’extinction Liste Rouge mondiale 2016, programme Life européen. ©L ZECHNER

Mygale bleue – Poecilotheria metallica :
présente en Inde, en danger critique d’extinction Liste Rouge mondiale 2008, en programme d’élevage européen. © Jacky RENARD / Muséum de Besançon

Rat des moissons – Micromys minutus :
présent en Europe en Russie et en Asie de l’est, préoccupation mineure Liste Rouge France 2017, en programme d’élevage à des fins de réintroduction dans l’Eure. © Eric ISSELÉE

Grand Hamster – Cricetus cricetus :
présent de l’Europe de l’est à l’Asie centrale, et dans certaines zones restreintes d’Europe occidentale, en danger critique d’extinction Liste Rouge mondiale 2020, Plan National d’Actions en faveur de sa sauvegarde. © Jacky RENARD / Muséum de Besançon

Ibis chauve – Geronticus eremita :
présent en Afrique du Nord et dans le Sud de l’Europe, en danger Liste Rouge mondiale 2018, Proyecto Emerita, en programme d’élevage européen à des fins de réintroduction. © David LEFRANC / Muséum de Besançon

Propithèque couronné –Propithecus deckenii coronatus :
présent à Madagascar, en danger critique d’extinction Liste Rouge mondiale 2018, Sifaka conservation, en programme d’élevage européen. © JY ROBERT

Grand Hapalémur – Prolemur simus :
présent à Madagascar, en danger critique d’extinction Liste Rouge mondiale 2018, Helpsimus en programme d’élevage européen. © Jacky RENARD / Muséum de Besançon

Tamarin lion – Leontopithecus rosalia :
présent au Brésil, en danger Liste Rouge mondiale 2015, Lion Tamarin Brazil Fundation, en programme d’élevage européen. © Jacky RENARD / Muséum de Besançon

Babouin Gélada – Theropithecus gelada :
présent en Ethiopie, préoccupation mineure Liste Rouge mondiale 2018, Gelada Research, en programme d’élevage européen. © Jacky RENARD / Muséum de Besançon

Couleuvre vipérine – Natrix maura :
présente dans le sud-ouest de l’Europe et en Afrique du nord, en danger sur la liste rouge des reptiles et amphibiens de Franche-Comté, (2020) partenariat avec la Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux de Bourgogne-Franche-Comté en accompagnement de Voies navigables de France pour un plan de sauvegarde sur les canaux de la région.
© Hugo Barré-Chaubet

Details of the Museum's various investments in conservation programs:

• participation in European breeding programs run by EAZA
• participation in conservation breeding programs in partnership with institutions working for conservation: Conservatoire des Espaces Naturels, regional parks, nature reserves, Office Français pour la Biodiversité, local associations, etc.
• financial support for in situ conservation projects
• programs for censusing and monitoring species whose habitat is the site

Every year, the Besançon Museum makes a commitment—join in!

In total, 47 species conservation programs are supported in France and around the world, including six reintroduction projects.
You too can support a conservation project.

The missions of a zoo

Teams committed to animal welfare on a daily basis

Animal welfare is defined by the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) as the physical and mental state of an animal resulting from the satisfaction of its essential physiological and behavioral needs, as well as its expectations, while taking into account its adaptive capacities. An animal's welfare is a state that will vary depending on the animal's physiological condition, cognitive abilities, and behavior. This model should be understood as a dynamic system, in which each component can be impacted individually, causing the animal's state of well-being to change.
To ensure the well-being of the animals in its zoo, the Besançon Museum employs professionals and specialists in behavior and biology:

• 22 animal keepers respond to the specific needs of the animals and alert staff as soon as they observe any changes: loss of appetite, prostration, lameness, refusal to interact with other animals, etc.
• Two biologists and two veterinarians monitor health and provide appropriate care when necessary.

Animal welfare, which is assessed on zoological and ethological criteria, depends on the environment in which the animal lives. The facilities at the Zoological Park are subject to rigorous and sometimes unannounced inspections and must comply with strict regulations. Animal keepers are particularly concerned about the layout of the enclosures, which they regularly redesign and enhance with various enrichment elements that encourage the animals to be active:

• Food enrichment (varied diet, regularly changed feeding methods and locations)
• Enrichment of the environment (organization of space, type of materials, suggestions for various activities, including sometimes games, etc.)
• Social enrichment (respect for the social organization observed in nature: solitary life, in pairs, in families, in groups of related individuals, etc.)
• Cognitive enrichment (mental stimulation through puzzle games and new experiences, such as olfactory experiences)
• Sensory enrichment (tactile, olfactory/gustatory, auditory, visual).

Animal welfare also involves medical training based on natural learning mechanisms. The goal is to be able to perform medical care and examinations without restraint or invasive procedures on the part of the caregiver: close observation of a part of the animal's body, ultrasound scans, crate restraint, blood sampling, etc. This is made possible by techniques based on play and encouragement. In the photo above, a caretaker weighs the sakis by getting them to come to the scale on their own. 

It should be noted that the entire team at the Besançon Museum is internationally recognized for its zootechnical expertise and its ability to breed sensitive species. The Museum is the birthplace of rare species, for which birth in captivity is sometimes a first (crayfish, jellyfish, amphibians, etc.), and which require rigorous and meticulous work upstream, such as lemurs, crayfish, salamanders, etc.

Discover the wildlife of the Citadel

• species census and monitoring programs.
• support for work that may impact this fauna: avoid it during key periods, propose compensatory measures, incorporate cavities for their nests to replace those that are lost during restoration.
• the framing of sporting and cultural events to avoid disruption.