Thoiry submerged. The famous zoo was stormed this Saturday by thousands of visitors. The combination of good weather, bearable heat and the Ascension Bridge attracted the curious as soon as the doors opened. In the middle of the morning, traffic jams even formed on the departmental road along the park. Rarely seen.
Staff were mobilized to guide clients. "I warn you, the safari is an hour of waiting. I advise you to wait and come back when it is quieter, at meal times or in the afternoon, "slips an employee to a motorist. Some get annoyed for no reason, some turn around but most choose to attack the animals of the savannah. "Have you ever tried to tell two kids we'll come back later? laughs a customer. We have no choice, we will mix with the crowd and take it upon ourselves. »
Leo, he takes it upon himself, philosopher: "Wherever we go this weekend, it will be full. We almost went to the sea but I guess it's the same as here. »
Reached this Saturday afternoon, the director of the site estimates at nearly 7,500 - 8,000 the number of customers expected. "We are in the high range, close to the records of 8,500 people," admits Christelle Bercheny, CEO of the Thoiry group. Faced with this influx, we mobilized many people to streamline attendance, in particular by advising visitors to visit by car in the afternoon. »
Thoiry is not the only tourist site won by the visitor fever. Friday, the zoo of Beauval (Loir-et-Cher) experienced a record of attendance and the management even called on its customers to postpone their trip. Many of them complained about the lack of gauge, on site, to curb the attendance of the place.