Rome’s Bioparco: A Wild Journey in the Heart of the City

The Bioparco, formerly known as the Rome Zoo, provides a chance to explore a variety of animals within the verdant surroundings of Villa Borghese.

Do individuals who have a fondness for animals exhibit a higher or lower level of aggression? Are you hesitant to engage in transoceanic air travel? Rome is a suitable destination for you.

The biopark located within Villa Borghese offers the chance to observe more than 200 animal species from five different continents. Consider a specialized park focused on conserving endangered species vulnerable to extinction or hunting and poaching, instead of a typical zoo.

Initially functioning as a zoo in the early 1900s, the park underwent a complete redesign and transformation into an oasis that prioritized the care and preservation of animals as guests, rather than mere attractions, due to the decline of its primary structure.

Rome’s Bioparco currently houses various species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and others, which can be observed during a nature tour.

The thematic areas of the Biopark

The Sumatra Tiger exhibit, which opened a year ago, spans 1000 square meters and provides guests with a habitat that closely resembles the tiger’s natural environment. The Sumatran tiger is a subspecies of the tiger that is currently classified as critically endangered.

The Biopark provides amenities for the tigers such as a pool for temperature regulation, chestnut trunks for claw maintenance, bamboo for habitat simulation, and meadows resembling their natural environment. The Bioparco in Rome exclusively houses this feline species in Italy.

Owl area

A place where adults and children can discover the marvelous characteristics of these nocturnal birds of prey. Four owls, including two Snowy Owls and two Real Owls, reside in the vicinity of the giraffe exhibit. Visitors can observe these birds through a non-intrusive window.

The Snowy Owl and its counterpart, characterized by a distinctive white plumage, inhabit the Arctic tundra of North America and possess the ability to camouflage themselves effectively to evade predators.

The eagle owl has a broad distribution in Europe and Asia, occupying habitats including coniferous forests, deserts, mountains, and river-rich areas.

The Bioparco of Rome has introduced two species to aid their reproduction due to the risks they face, primarily from collisions with power lines, despite their non-endangered status.

Monkeys

The smallest monkeys in the world, namely Emperor Tamarins, Oedipus Tamarins, and Pygmy Marmosets, inhabit an area of 450 m2.

Primate species in South America are endangered as a result of illicit trade in flora and fauna. They are callitrichids and weigh between 100 and 900 grams.

Orangutans

Orangutans have a larger area than their close relatives. Here, among the ropes, trees, logs, and wooden platforms, the orangutans have plenty of space to play, rest, or set up their nest, just as they would in the wild.

Alien fish

Octopuses, jellyfish, moray eels, parrot fish, sturgeons, and many other species still inhabit this area, which raises visitors’ awareness of the dangers of the so-called alien species that are increasingly populating our seas, causing many problems for the survival of endemic species.

The entrance to this area is not linked to the entrance to the biopark. The alien fish exhibit is accessible daily from 10:00 to 16:30, with an admission fee of 3 euros.

Komodo Dragons

Do Dragons Really Exist? And if so, what do they look like? The Komodo Dragons, which are the world’s largest and most perilous lizards, inhabit this region. These reptiles are equipped with venom glands, making them dangerous and potentially lethal if bitten.

They can reach lengths of up to 3 meters and weigh up to 90 kilograms. Their potential hazard was only identified in 2009. This species is exclusively found in the Bioparco of Rome within Italy and is indigenous to the Sunda Archipelago islands situated in Indonesia.

Komodo dragons have inhabited the Earth for millions of years, but scientific and human knowledge of them dates back just a hundred years.

Giraffes

The home of the giraffes: 1700 square meters of savannah, skillfully recreated, houses these elegant and imposing animals typical of Africa.

Lions

At the Bioparco, you can also admire the Asiatic Lions, the nice ring-tailed lemurs, chimpanzees, bears, and a section entirely dedicated to reptiles.

However, not solely limited to that. In fact, the park also houses an important and vast botanical collection of plants of Mediterranean, exotic, and other origins.

The Bioparco in Rome operates from 9:30 to 17:00, with extended hours until 18:00 between March 26 and October 30.

• Expected visit time: expect to spend at least half a day inside the park.
• Cost of the entrance ticket: 16 euros for adults, 13 euros for children over 1 meter tall and up to 12 years of age, and free for children under 1 meter tall.
• The location of the Bioparco Foundation in Rome is at Viale del Giardino Zoologico, 20.