With more than 350,000 visitors per year, the Sainte-Croix Animal Park located in Rhodes in Moselle has become a reference in France and Europe for the presentation of European fauna and endangered species. In a 120-hectare green setting, 4 discovery trails lead visitors to meet 1,500 animals from over a hundred species living in semi-liberty.
Since 2010, the Animal Park offers a unique experience: sleeping in the heart of nature in a tree house, a lodge facing the deer plain or facing the wolf packs...
Gérald and Liliane Singer, farmers from the Sarrebourg region and nature enthusiasts, took on the crazy challenge in 1980 of devoting their land to observing deer and building an educational farm that would allow young children in the area to get close to domestic species, sometimes for the first time. A fervent lover of the king of the forest, Gérald brought the first deer from Chambord to populate the large plain of Sainte-Croix, his Garden of Eden.
Today, every year, 25,000 schoolchildren come to discover the European fauna, domestic animals, and now the world's threatened fauna presented at the Sainte-Croix Wildlife Park.
For this 2021 season, no less than two new high-flying animal experiences await visitors: an immersive aviary for the endangered capercaillie from the Vosges region, and an immersive aviary to discover the wading birds that inhabit the ponds and marshes. Several exhibitions can also be discovered along the paths, including "4m² de nature", co-created by the naturalist artists Stéphane Hette, Cathy Hette and Marcello Pettineo, and featuring the treasures of the biodiversity of our regions.
The "Expédition Sauvage" safari-train, the barefoot trail and the visit to the "Nouveau Monde" are all complementary discoveries for the whole family. To enrich the visit, "Nature Experiences" such as "Animalier d'un jour" also allow visitors to discover the backstage of the Park and to spend a privileged moment with the animals and the animal keepers.
All the Nature Lodges offered by the Park since 2010 give nature lovers the opportunity to spend a night face to face with wild animals. Treehouses, Black Bear River Lodges, Big Deer Lodges, Coyote Barns and Wolf Lodges... Five different types of accommodation, totalling 46 lodges, allow families to (re)connect with Nature during a unique stay.
To complete their stay, "Nature Experiences" allows guests to visit the Animal Park at dusk in the company of a guide or to accompany the animal keepers in the field in the early hours of the morning. Finally, winter packages "Meet the wolf and other large predators" between December and March take young and old alike to discover this great predator, both admired and feared.
Since 2020, the Sainte-Croix Wildlife Park has been awarded the eco-label for its nature stays. This European label guarantees that the Animal Park, as an exceptional nature holiday destination, actively contributes to the use of renewable energy sources, water and energy saving, as well as to the protection of biodiversity.
The European Ecolabel is the only official European eco-label that can be used in all member countries of the European Union. In France, it is issued by AFNOR. The Nature Lodges and the Park's restaurants are certified by the European Ecolabel "Services d’hébergement touristique". Its objectives are multiple and mainly oriented towards reducing the environmental footprint of the Park in terms of energy consumption, water and waste.
Sainte-Croix carries out conservation actions for endangered animal species. Some of the animals in the Animal Park, such as the European bison and Przewalski's horses, are presented in the framework of European Breeding Programmes (EEP). Some of these species will be reintroduced to the wild in Europe and the genetic strains of these animals are carefully preserved.
In order to support the conservation actions carried out in the field, the Sainte-Croix Wildlife Park created an endowment fund called Sainte-Croix Biodiversité at the end of 2016. The donations collected, via animal sponsorship or patronage, are thus transferred directly to local, national or even international associations in order to develop their action plans for the preservation of environments and species. Since its creation, Sainte-Croix Biodiversité has collected more than €600,000 in donations and supports around twenty associations each year. The Park also aims to create its own conservation programmes.
Leisure parks, exhibitions, cultural heritage in all its forms, family excursions, gourmet escapades, visits to workshops,... more than 175 opportunities to (re)discover the Moselle can be found on idees.mosl.fr. Find suggestions for accommodation for all preferences for a weekend or a holiday with a twist. The Moselle offers you an unlimited range of activities!
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Sainte-Croix Animal Park
Domaine de Sainte-Croix
57810 Rhodes
Information, ticketing and bookings: http://parcsaintecroix.com
