...Branfere, one of the oldest names in old Brittany, was already known by 
Julius Caesar well over two thousand years age. He had started there his first iron 
mine and built, very near, his first Roman temple. In a strange mixture of Latin 
and Celtic languages, Branfere means the « Iron Table Land », also shown quite 
clearly by the blue colour of its hydrangeas. 
The temple’s altar, destroyed, a thousand years later, by the Knights Tem¬ 
plars, is now the base of the granite cross they had erected, in front of the church 
of Le Guerno, the nearest village, not even a mile from Branfere. Their order was 
abolished in the then independent dukedom in the XIVth century and replaced by 
the family Freslon de la Freslonniere, which had inherited their influence and 
power in the area. Around the beginning of the XVIIth century, another castle, 
much more important, was going to take the place of the medieval one already 
built just after the fall of the Knights. 
About a century later, an enlightened botanist, also member of the Freslon 
family, was going to change entirely the Park, planting trees then extremely rare, 
which have not yet disappeared to day. Unfortunately, the next generation, after 
having embraced with enthusiasm the cause of the « chouannerie », found itself 
obliged to migrate to England, at the very last moment, and had to stay there until 
the end of Napoleon’s era. The manor and the castle had been almost entirely des¬ 
troyed, after having been occupied by the « Blue », the soldiers of the Republican 
army ; the chapel in an even worse condition, was beyond repairs : since those 
days, its ruins have never been touched and the Park itself had terribly suffered. 
Finally back in Brittany, the remaining members of the Freslon family had to 
face the work of reconstruction and started rebuilding the ruins they had found on 
their return ; alas, the second Chouannerie was going to achieve discouraging 
them : they sold the estate to a distant relative, the Marquis de Barbeyrac de Saint 
Maurice, who sold it again very soon to the grand father of the present owner. As 
a nature’s lover, not only he started right away to finish restoring the buildings but 
he also replanned and replanted the Park, wich had so long been abandonned, 
bringing back to life Branfere, that had seemed condemned for ever. 
Two generations further, after the exotic plants and trees which had been 
imported with such difficulties, were going to arrive gradually the thousands of 
rare birds and mammals brought there by his grandson, with the help often 
brought by Frangois de la Grange, so well known all over Europe by the friends of 
nature and especially the television fans, as also by Branfere’s visitors. Now inha¬ 
bited by all sorts of animal guests, the Park of Branfere does not have very much 
in common with other so called zoological organizations and very few cages and 
aviaries are to be found there, in such an animal kingdom. 
The ground, the vegetation and particularly the climatic conditions, especially 
favourable, Branfere is enjoying have been and still are permitting importing, 
acclimatizing and also breeding very rare species both from the Equator and the 
Artie Circle. Amongst them, the group of Maras to be seen in the Park is certainly 
the most important in the world, just as the one of Wallabies is amongst the lar¬ 
gest. 
The best known scientists, such as the Nobel Prize Winner Professor Konrad 
Lorenz, visit Branfere one after each other, to proceed with their studies there and 
scientific observations in ideal conditions, staying in the old « Maison du Chape- 
lain » — the priest’s house in the ancient days before the French Revolution, now 
the Park’s House — where they can live, as Branfere’s guests, in absolute free¬ 
dom. Many students, year after year, also come in Summer, especially during their 
holidays, and keep working on the spot. 
To all those scientific and educative goals, quite a few others must also be 
added : artistic (during the season, paintings and other shows are to be seen in the 
Exhibition Room, where take place regularly projections with their corresponding 
comments), cultural and just as well touristic : so are attracted in a far distant cor¬ 
ner of Brittany, still unknown very recently, the ever increasing crowds of nature 
and animal lovers ! 
All those who understand the urgent necessity to manage to safeguard so many 
animal species threatened'with extinction will find in Branfere, in complete or 
almost complete freedom, most of the birds fullwinged, all sorts of samples of a 
wonderful faune, without which mankind itself could not survive very long... 
5 Prairie Dogs 
6 Humboldt Penguins 
7 Lesser Apes and Parrots. King Vulture 
8 Park’s House : Exhibits and slides, bar 
9 Birds’ Garden 
10 Great Indian Hornbills 
11 Cariamas, Hymalayan Monaul 
15 Waterfowl 
16 Siamangs 
17 Spoonbills 
18 Bennet’s Cassowaries 
19 Black Necked Swans 
20 Guanacos, Kangaroos, Hog Deers, Tapirs 
21 Lemurs. 
