Taipei Zoo
Zoo entrance
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| Date opened | 1914 |
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| Location | Wenshan, Taipei, Taiwan |
| Coordinates | 24°59′42″N 121°35′3″E / 24.99500°N 121.58417°ECoordinates: 24°59′42″N 121°35′3″E / 24.99500°N 121.58417°E |
| Website | english.zoo.taipei.gov.tw |
The Taipei Zoo (Chinese: 臺北市立動物園; pinyin: Táiběi Shìlì Dòngwùyuán), sometimes referred to as the "Muzha Zoo" (木柵動物園), is a public zoological garden in Wenshan District, Taipei, Taiwan. It is the most famous zoological garden in Taiwan and a leader in conservation, research and education, and recreation. It is also the largest zoo in Asia.
Taipei Zoo was founded as Maruyama Zoo (Japanese: 圓山動物園 Hepburn: Maruyama Dōbutsuen?) in 1914, when Taiwan was under Japanese rule, in Mt. Maruyama (modern-day Yuanshan) on the northern suburb of Taihoku (modern-day Taipei). It was originally a private zoological garden owned by a Japanese citizen, Mr. Oe. The Japanese government in Taiwan bought the property the following year and opened it as a public park. After World War II, the Republic of China (ROC) retreated to Taiwan and the ownership of the park was passed to the Taipei City Government of ROC. An Asian elephant named Lin Wang that served with the Chinese Expeditionary Force during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) and later relocated to Taiwan with the Kuomintang forces was moved to the zoo, and lived out most of his life and was the most popular animal at the zoo, and the most famous animal in Taiwan until it received 2 pandas from China. Many adults and children alike affectionately called the bull elephant "Grandpa Lin Wang." Due to a need for expansion and for better conditions for the animals, the zoo was moved to its current site in Muzha on the southeastern suburb of Taipei City in 1986. It is, therefore, sometimes referred to as the "Muzha Zoo" to be distinguished from the former "Yuan-shan Zoo". The current site encloses 165 hectares, including 90 hectares open to the public.
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