African in the heart of France.The Palmyre Zoo was created in 1967 by Claude Caillé. He returned from his trip to Africa with no less than 60 exotic animals that took up residence in the 3-hectar zoological park. Today the park boasts 1 600 animals. Bisons, gorillas, zebras, giraffes, flamingoes, penguins, pelicans, tortoises, crocodiles and pythons cohabit in relative harmony in the Palmyre zoo, drawing over 800 000 visitors every year.