Description of the attraction
Chiang Mai Zoo is the first and only one in the north of Thailand where visitors can observe animals in their natural habitat. It is located at the foot of Mount Doi Suthep in the territory of the national park of the same name.
The history of the zoo began when Harole Mason Jr., an American missionary born in Myanmar, collected wounded wild animals and received 24 acres of land near Mount Doi Suthep from Chiang Mai provincial officials in 1957 for their maintenance. When Mason died in 1974, the zoo was transferred to Chiang Mai under the control of the Zoological Parks Organization of Thailand. At the same time, the territory of the zoo was significantly expanded to 200 acres. The official opening of the Chiang Mai Zoo under the patronage of the king took place in 1977.
Chiang Mai Zoo features over 400 species of animals, including koalas, penguins, rhinoceros, zebras, camels, llamas, giraffes, white tigers, lions and many more. It is noteworthy that most of the animals are located in open enclosures. The safety of visitors is ensured by ditches with or without water, but designed in such a way that animals cannot jump over them.
Separately, it should be said about the main inhabitants of the zoo: giant pandas. Chiang Mai is the only city in Thailand and Asia where you can admire these amazing animals live. Since 2003, two adult pandas, Lin Hui and Zhuang Zhuang, have been living in Chiang Mai, and since 2009, their baby Lin Bing. All pandas are owned by China and are in Thailand under a lease agreement. They are the main favorites of the whole country, and Lin Bing's birthday is celebrated on a special scale. In 2012, the Chinese Ambassador personally presented the baby panda with a birthday cake. Importantly, Lin Bing was born through artificial insemination and in captivity, this incident made a splash all over the world.
The zoo houses the largest aquarium in Asia, rich in all kinds of fish, as well as the world's largest tunnel-aquarium with a length of 133 meters.
On the territory of the zoo, you can visit the Snow House, a room where a constant temperature of -5 degrees Celsius is maintained.
