Hsinchu Zoo

Zoo in East, Hsinchu City, Taiwan

24°48′03.8″N 120°58′46.1″E / 24.801056°N 120.979472°E / 24.801056; 120.979472Date opening1936LocationEast, Hsinchu City, TaiwanLand area5.4 hectaresWebsiteOfficial website (in Chinese)

The Hsinchu Zoo (Chinese: 新竹市立動物園; pinyin: Xīnzhú Shìlì Dòngwùyuán) is a zoo in East District, Hsinchu City, Taiwan. Established in 1936, it is Taiwan's oldest zoo to continuously operate at the same location.

History

Established in 1936, it is Taiwan's oldest zoo to continuously operate at the same location.^[1]

In the 1950s and 1960s, businessman Ho Kuo-hua donated a Hokkaido bear cub, an elephant, and a giraffe. Today, a memorial stands at the zoo in his honor.^[2]

Recent years

The zoo was temporarily closed for renovations in May 2017 and was reopened in December 2019. To restore the appearance of architectural features dating back to 1936, the zoo collected old photographs from the public. Architect Chiu Wen-chieh used a solvent that gradually stripped away layers of paint from statues, revealing that the base layer was green paint. Prior to closing, the zoo was home to 70 species of wild animals; this was reduced to 44 species under the rebirth project.^[2]

Architecture

Children's Zoo
- Chinchilla
- Asian water buffalo
- Domestic rabbit
- Pony^[3]
Primate's Families
- Formosan rock monkey
- Brown lemur
- Grey gibbon
- Crab eating macaque^[4]
Bird's Paradise
- Sulphur-crested cockatoo
- Green peafowl
- Common peafowl
- Mandarin duck^[5]
Tropical Rain Forest
Reptile Kingdom
- Yellow margined box turtle
- African spurred tortoise
- Green iguana
- Red eared slider^[7]
Deer's Wonderland
- Formosan sika deer
- Formosan barking deer^[8]

Exhibitions

The zoo currently exhibits more than 300 animals from 100 different species, which includes 70 animals from 23 protected species.^[9]

Transportation

The zoo is accessible within walking distance east of Hsinchu Station of Taiwan Railways Administration.

References

^ "Travel in Taiwan > Attractions > Hot Spots > Hsinchu City > Hsinchu Zoo Tourism Bureau, Republic of China (Taiwan)". Archived from the original on 2017-01-08. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
^ ^a ^b Tsai, Chi-mei (30 December 2019). "Taiwan's Oldest Zoo Saves the Cages for Humans". Commonwealth Magazine. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
^ "新竹市立動物園-可愛之家". Retrieved June 7, 2018.
^ "新竹市立動物園-靈猴家族". Retrieved June 7, 2018.
^ "新竹市立動物園-鳥的天堂". Retrieved June 7, 2018.
^ "新竹市立動物園-熱帶雨林". Retrieved June 7, 2018.
^ "新竹市立動物園-爬蟲王國". Retrieved June 7, 2018.
^ "新竹市立動物園-鹿的樂園". Retrieved June 7, 2018.
^ "Attractions > Hot Spots > Hsinchu City > Hsinchu Zoo >". eng.taiwan.net.tw. Archived from the original on 2014-02-26.