Françoise Jeanne Lajunias Delord (née Doucet; 30 January 1940 – 3 December 2021) was a French

ornithologist Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

and zoo owner who was the founder and director of

ZooParc de Beauval The ZooParc de Beauval (), more commonly called Beauval Zoo or, more simply, Beauval, is a French zoological park located in Saint-Aignan-sur-Cher, Centre-Val de Loire. It features more than 35,000 animals on 40 hectares, which is one of the larges ...

. After acting at

Bobino Bobino at 20 rue de la Gaîté, in the Montparnasse area of Paris ( 14th arrondissement), France, is a music hall theatre that has seen most of the biggest names of 20th century French music perform there. During its long history it was also k ...

, Delord became an ornithologist, authoring two books on the topic in the 1970s. In 1980, she opened an ornithological park, which later expanded to become the ZooParc de Beauval in 1989.

Early life

Delord was born 30 January 1940 and raised by a single mother in

Montargis Montargis () is a communes of France, commune in the Loiret Departments of France, department, Centre-Val de Loire, France. Montargis is the seventh most populous commune in the Loiret, after Orléans and its suburbs. It is near a large forest, ...

. She studied at the Lycée Jeanne d'Arc in

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and CNSAD. Delord initially began her career as an actress. She dreamed of entering the

Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...

and play the title role in the tragedy ''

Phaedra Phaedra may refer to: Mythology * Phaedra (mythology), Cretan princess, daughter of Minos and Pasiphaë, wife of Theseus Arts and entertainment * ''Phaedra'' (Alexandre Cabanel), an 1880 painting Film * ''Phaedra'' (film), a 1962 film by ...

''. She worked at

and presented 11 shows per week. For six years, she frequently interacted with artists such as

Jacques Brel Jacques Romain Georges Brel (, ; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, l ...

Léo Ferré Léo Ferré (24 August 1916 – 14 July 1993) was a French-born Monégasque poet and composer, and a dynamic and controversial live performer, whose career in France dominated the years after the Second World War until his death. He released s ...

and

Georges Brassens Georges Charles Brassens (; 22 October 1921 – 29 October 1981) was a French singer-songwriter and poet. As an iconic figure in France, he achieved fame through his elegant songs with their harmonically complex music for voice and guitar and a ...

. While working in the theatre, she met her husband, , a magician with whom she had two children: Rodolphe and Delphine. The couple later divorced.

Ornithological career

In the early 1970s, Delord won two

African silverbill The African silverbill (''Euodice cantans'') is a small passerine bird formerly considered conspecific with the Asian species Indian silverbill, (''Euodice malabarica''). This estrildid finch is a common resident breeding bird in dry savanna h ...

birds as part of a contest, which would trigger her inspiration for a zoological park. She became an ornithologist, writing two books about birds. Delord frequently purchased new birds at pet stores and built an

aviary An aviary is a large enclosure for confining birds, although bats may also be considered for display. Unlike birdcages, aviaries allow birds a larger living space where they can fly; hence, aviaries are also sometimes known as flight cages. Av ...

in her

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

apartment. When the total number of birds reached 300, she and her family moved out of Paris and settled on a five-hectare property near Saint-Aignan. In 1980, Delord opened an ornithological park, which was transformed into

in 1989 following the acquisition of

wildcats The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the ...

. In 1991, the zoo’s stature grew when she acquired a pair of rare white tigers. In 2001, she was the only female French zoo director. At the 2006 Chinese Committee of Breeding Techniques for Giant Pandas in Thailand, Delord expressed a desire to adopt a pair of giant pandas. The zoo reached international profile when China loaned it a pair of pandas in 2012. As of 2011, it was home to 4600 animals, and was the only collection in France with koalas or manatees. When Delord aged, she left control of the park to her children, Rodolphe and Delphine. In 2021, the zoo has 1.4 million visitors. Françoise Delord died on 3 December 2021 at the age of 81.

Selected works

* * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Delord, Francoise 1940 births 2021 deaths Zookeepers Zoo owners People from Montargis 20th-century French businesspeople French ornithologists Women ornithologists 20th-century French actresses Conservatoire de Paris alumni