venerdì ho girato 4 negozi cercando delle scarpe gialle (?!?) e sabato finalmente ho trovato delle crocs GIALLE della sua misura, di cui va molto fiero.

ps. c’è una foto carinissima di te e della tua amica!

Thank you so much for your thoughtful response, it was very much appreciated.

We often hear similar comments (parents against the zoo concept but bringing their children only to introduce them to animals for the first time…).
Partly I believe it is a historical perception of zoos in Italy, due to the fact that most were built in the 70’s (metal bars, cement, cages) and have not been modernized. Zoos in northern Europe are already very different experiences.

A big priority for us is to improve our “fattoria”, we are hoping to completely re-do it this winter for next year, creating an extremely large space where visitors have the option of observing from outside or entering inside with the farm/domestic animals (petting zoo). The animals would always have the option of entering an area where people cannot go, obviously!

Most of our animals were brought to us by the Provincia or Corpo Forestale because they cannot be reintroduced to the wild. The lince is one example (she was found in a private home, she has no more claws and would therefore never survive…), now a Genetta. Even our tigers were entrusted to us by the authorities after they closed the circus where the tigers were born.

Your points and comments are very well-received, thank you again for taking the time to respond. We keep trying to improve and we like to listen to our visitors comments!

Best wishes,
Leslie

The whole experience at Baitelandia was really controversial for my family: on one hand Matteo had the opportunity to actually see animals… on the other they were all kept in rings and he was allowed to really experience only the horse ride.
The place is absolutely overpriced.
On one cage there was a notice from Regione Piemonte saying that the animal (don’t remember which one) was brought to their medical attention.
At the entrance we were greeted by 2 really kind guys with some newborn birds that the kids were allowed to pet…and scare!

Also, the perception we had during the visit is not of a place where actual research is made or animals are rescued: after you post I checked back the site and found out that there are some projects going on(including your thesis, congrats!). So thank you for letting me know about this aspect of the park.

Still, since the whole saving/researchig aspect was not really perceived by us, I would have preferred to see only farm animals and be able to be close to them, pet them, see how they are fed instead of seeing 2 tigers through a thick glass!

It is easy to be negative and to complain; it is much more challenging to be inspired and to see the great opportunity for families and children to learn about native and non-native animals … and maybe someday to be part of the solution instead of the problem!

I must add that the penguins in question are of origin African Penguins (Black-footed), and therefore the “sun” is not a problem as much as the winter (they have both indoor facilities and cooled pools).
The penguins (and all animals in a modern zoo these days) do not come from the “wild” but from structures inadequate to support them (other zoos, circuses, private homes), and we are working within the international scientific community to provide a home and the possibility to vary the genetic pool of this vulnerable species (category assigned by the IUCN).

These are my personal comments: not reflecting the staff or structure. I hope to hear from you soon.