The Hsinchu Zoo (Chinese: 新竹市立動物園; pinyin: Xīnzhú Shìlì Dòngwùyuán) is a zoo in East District, Hsinchu City, Taiwan. Established in 1936, it is Taiwan's oldest zoo to continuously operate at the same location.
History
Established in 1936, it is Taiwan's oldest zoo to continuously operate at the same location.[1]
In the 1950s and 1960s, businessman Ho Kuo-hua donated a Hokkaido bear cub, an elephant, and a giraffe. Today, a memorial stands at the zoo in his honor.[2]
Recent years
The zoo was temporarily closed for renovations in May 2017 and was reopened in December 2019. To restore the appearance of architectural features dating back to 1936, the zoo collected old photographs from the public. Architect Chiu Wen-chieh used a solvent that gradually stripped away layers of paint from statues, revealing that the base layer was green paint. Prior to closing, the zoo was home to 70 species of wild animals; this was reduced to 44 species under the rebirth project.[2]
