Chiang Mai Zoo
Encyclopedia
Chiang Mai Zoo is a 200 acres (80.9 ha) zoo
located on 100 Huay Kaew Road, Chiang Mai
, Thailand
, just north of Chiang Mai University
. It is the first commercial zoo in Northern Thailand
, and was established on 16 June 1977.
When Young died in 1974, the property was taken over by Chiang Mai province. The zoo was expanded to its current 200 acres (80.9 ha), transferred to the Zoological Park Organization under the patronage of the King of Thailand, and opened as the official zoo of Chang Mai province in 1977.
. On 28 October 2008, an aquatic tunnel with a length of 133 metres (436.4 ft) (the world's longest tunnel aquarium) was opened to the public. It also has a marine aquarium, which is the largest one in Asia.
s, Humboldt penguin
s, Cape fur seals, the only rhino
in Thailand, hippos
, flamingo
s, giraffe
s, zebra
s, ostrich
es, camel
s, lion
s, tiger
s, Barbary sheep
, Malayan tapir
, and many types of reptiles. The zoo is also home to two elephants and three giant pandas.
Giant pandas Lin Hui and Chuang Chuang arrived at the zoo on 12 October 2003, and are on 10-year loan from China. Their daughter Lin Bing
was born at the zoo on 27 May 2009, and will be returned to China when she is two years old. Lin Bing is one of just a few giant pandas born in captivity outside of China.
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
located on 100 Huay Kaew Road, Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai Province
Chiang Mai is the second-largest province of Thailand, located in the north of the country. Neighboring provinces are Chiang Rai, Lampang, Lamphun, Tak, and Mae Hong Son. In the north it borders Shan State of Burma...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, just north of Chiang Mai University
Chiang Mai University
Chiang Mai University is a public research university in northern Thailand founded in 1964 with a strong emphasis on engineering, science, and agriculture. Its instructional mission includes undergraduate, graduate, professional and continuing education offered through resident instruction...
. It is the first commercial zoo in Northern Thailand
Northern Thailand
Thailand's northern region is geographically characterised by multiple mountain ranges which continue from the Shan Hills in bordering Myanmar and Laos, and the river valleys which cut through them...
, and was established on 16 June 1977.
History
In 1950 the U.S government sent military advisers to train tribal police along the border of Thailand. Among them was Harold Mason Young, son of American missionaries, who had been born in Burma. Young started helping injured animals, and his collection started getting visitors. The Chiang Mai provincial government set aside 24 acres (9.7 ha) at the base of Suthep Mountain, and the facility was opened to the public in 1957.When Young died in 1974, the property was taken over by Chiang Mai province. The zoo was expanded to its current 200 acres (80.9 ha), transferred to the Zoological Park Organization under the patronage of the King of Thailand, and opened as the official zoo of Chang Mai province in 1977.
Exhibits
Chiang Mai Zoo is privately operated and includes a large variety of animals. In addition, it provides two large aquariumsPublic aquarium
A public aquarium is the aquatic counterpart of a zoo, housing living aquatic species for viewing. Most public aquariums feature tanks larger than those kept by home aquarists, as well as smaller tanks. Since the first public aquariums were built in the mid-19th century, they have become popular...
. On 28 October 2008, an aquatic tunnel with a length of 133 metres (436.4 ft) (the world's longest tunnel aquarium) was opened to the public. It also has a marine aquarium, which is the largest one in Asia.
Animals
Overall, 400 animal species are represented in the zoo including koalaKoala
The koala is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia, and the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae....
s, Humboldt penguin
Humboldt Penguin
The Humboldt Penguin is a South American penguin, that breeds in coastal Peru and Chile. Its nearest relatives are the African Penguin, the Magellanic Penguin and the Galápagos Penguin...
s, Cape fur seals, the only rhino
Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....
in Thailand, hippos
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
, flamingo
Flamingo
Flamingos or flamingoes are gregarious wading birds in the genus Phoenicopterus , the only genus in the family Phoenicopteridae...
s, giraffe
Giraffe
The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
s, zebra
Zebra
Zebras are several species of African equids united by their distinctive black and white stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual. They are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds...
s, ostrich
Ostrich
The Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member of the genus Struthio. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a...
es, camel
Camel
A camel is an even-toed ungulate within the genus Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as humps on its back. There are two species of camels: the dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the bactrian has two humps. Dromedaries are native to the dry desert areas of West Asia,...
s, lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
s, tiger
Tiger
The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
s, Barbary sheep
Barbary sheep
The Barbary Sheep is a species of caprid native to rocky mountains in North Africa. Six subspecies have been described. Although it is rare in its native North Africa, it has been introduced to North America, southern Europe and elsewhere...
, Malayan tapir
Malayan Tapir
The Malayan Tapir , also called the Asian Tapir, is the largest of the four species of tapir and the only one native to Asia. The scientific name refers to the East Indies, the species' natural habitat...
, and many types of reptiles. The zoo is also home to two elephants and three giant pandas.
Giant pandas Lin Hui and Chuang Chuang arrived at the zoo on 12 October 2003, and are on 10-year loan from China. Their daughter Lin Bing
Lin Bing
Lin Bing, is a female giant panda in Thailand. Born on 27 May 2009 at Chiang Mai Zoo in Chiang Mai, Thailand by Gamete intrafallopian transfer to Lin Hui and Xuang Xuang, it is the first giant panda born in Thailand. Its name, meaning the "Forest of Ice," was chosen after a nationwide name...
was born at the zoo on 27 May 2009, and will be returned to China when she is two years old. Lin Bing is one of just a few giant pandas born in captivity outside of China.