Good news for fans of “A Season at the Zoo”. The flagship program of France 4, which made the Zoo de la Flèche (Sarthe) known throughout France, will experience a second life. Despite the series being discontinued last year by the television channel, after 14 seasons and 772 episodes, the Sarthois park has decided to produce and broadcast its own episodes on Youtube. The first will be released next week, starting May 24.
The concept is strictly the same, “only the broadcast channel will change”, explains Sandra Vivien, the park’s sales and communication manager. “It will be the same keepers and the same editorial line: film and follow the daily life of the animals in the park”. 25 episodes are planned, lasting 12 to 15 minutes each.
A costly production for the park, but essential according to Sandra Vivien: “It was unthinkable not to continue the adventure. Audiences are still there, with 450,000 spectators on average and very strong enthusiasm. We have worked all winter to prepare for this new season”.
In 2014, when the show launched, the zoo received 180,000 annual visitors. Today, an average of 400,000 people make a detour through the park. “People come because they saw us on TV and they want to find the animals and the keepers they saw on the show!”