Picture this. A sturdy iron cage. A lonely silhouette pacing within. This is the Ancienne Cage aux Ours in Lyon’s Parc de la Tête d’Or. It’s more than just a cage. It’s a relic. A silent witness to decades of Lyon’s history.
The Ancienne Cage aux Ours isn’t just any old bear enclosure. For many years it was home to Lyon’s zoo’s bears. Imagine the sounds. The shuffling paws. The deep rumbles of content or discontent.
The cage itself is quite old. It dates back to at least 1865. That’s long before modern zoo design emphasized animal welfare. The bears were certainly not living in luxurious conditions. One account mentions a female bear named Sophie. Sophie the Himalayan black bear lived alone in her iron cage. Another cage housed descendants of a brown bear named Mitron. He arrived from Bern in 1947 and died in 1979. His descendants apparently had such a high birthrate that one male had to be sterilized.
The bears lived in these cages until at least 1994. That’s when a new much larger ourserie opened. It provided significantly more space for Lyon’s bears to roam. This new enclosure was a huge improvement. It covered 600 square meters. Architects Martel and Charlet designed it. This was part of a larger park renovation project from the 1960s and 70s. It was finally completed by Michel Noir. Even the new facility received renovations in 2002.
The Ancienne Cage aux Ours stands as a reminder of how our understanding of animal welfare has changed. It’s a testament to Lyon’s commitment to improving its zoo. The cage is more than just a cage. It’s a window to the past. It tells a story of how we used to treat animals and how far we have come. It also tells a story of a city constantly adapting and improving. Take a moment to reflect on its history. Let the Ancienne Cage aux Ours speak to you in the silence of its iron bars.