The entrance to Manila Zoo
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Date opened | July 25, 1959 |
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Location | Adriatico Street, Malate, Manila, Philippines |
Coordinates | 14°33′53″N 120°59′19″E / 14.5647412°N 120.9886014°ECoordinates: 14°33′53″N 120°59′19″E / 14.5647412°N 120.9886014°E |
Land area | 5.5 hectares (14 acres) |
Number of animals | ~1000 (2015) |
Number of species | 90 (2015) |
Annual visitors | 480,000+ |
Public transit access |
Rail: |
Rail:
The Manila Zoo, formally known as the Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden, is a 5.5-hectare (14-acre) zoo located in Malate, Manila, Philippines that opened on July 25, 1959.
The Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden is home to about a thousand animals from 90 species as of April 2015. The zoo's most popular resident is Mali, an Asian elephant who arrived at the zoo in 1977 as 3 year old calf transported from Sri Lanka, after being poached from the wild.
Other Animals residing in Manila Zoo includes a Bengal tiger, Malayan civet, monitor lizard and hippopotamus. Many of the animals of the zoo were born in captivity with three month-old juveniles recently born in April 2015. The zoo management is planning to transfer many of its animals to a separate breeding area or sanctuary outside Metro Manila due to over congestion in the zoo. The zoo is planned to be just an exhibit area.
The Wildlife Rescue Center serves as temporary shelter and repository for confiscated, donated, retrieved, sick, injured and abandoned wildlife species. The Wildlife Rescue Center has been the subject of public scrutiny in regard to their animal welfare standards.
The Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden is home to many plant collections, from the botanically rich and diverse Philippine Islands and South Pacific region.
The Kinder Zoo within Manila Zoo was a result of a private-public partnership between Kinder Zoo, Inc. and the city government. Kinder Zoo, Inc. redeveloped 3,000 square metres (32,000 sq ft) of the zoo into an area named Kinder Zoo. The area was designed as a child-friendly area where children can interact with some animals of the zoo. The area featured a butterfly sanctuary, a hanging bridge, a flamingo pond, a barn for events, and a petting zoo upon its opening on June 23, 2000.
The Manila Zoo by law must operate in accordance to the Animal Welfare Act of 1998 (also known as Republic Act 8485). The purpose of the Act is to ensure that all terrestrial, aquatic and marine animals in the Philippines have their physical and psychological needs met in ways that promote well-being. Inquiries have been made into the compliance of the Manila Zoo with this Act.