The Animals in Chiang Mai Zoo
Nearly 400 different species of animal are kept at the Chiang Mai Zoo, including elephants, tigers, chimpanzees, hippopotami and rhinoceroses. The zoo also features some outstanding special attractions such as the walk through aviary, a fascinating freshwater aquarium and the zoo’s stars – Chuang Chuang and Lin Hui, two young pandas who were sent as goodwill ambassadors from China in 2003.
The emphasis here is on creating a natural feeling environment, an illusion of being out in the wild. Many of the enclosures, such as the giraffe and zebra exhibit, have ramps and walkovers that allow visitors to get up close and personal with the zoo’s furry residents.
Conservation and education are top priorities at Chiang Mai Zoo; the animals are well cared for and quite happy and healthy. The animal population of the zoo is as diverse as the human population of northern Thailand. Here you will find a wide variety of Southeast Asian species, such as the Giant Mae Khong Catfish, the Tiger and the rare Serow, which has existed almost unchanged for 7 million years.
In addition to these regional species, the zoo is home to creatures from all corners of the globe, including the Alpaca from South America, Giraffes and Zebras from Africa, Kangaroos and Dingoes from Australia and Scops Owls from Europe, among many others. A truly unusual sight is the Humboldt Penguin exhibit. Seeing birds traditionally associated with the frigid Polar Regions thriving in balmy Thailand is definitely one to file in the something-you-don’t-see-everyday column.
