Hong Kong Zoo

The Hong Kong Zoo or Zoological and Botanical Gardens is located on the Upper Albert Road, Central are spread on the slope of Victoria Peak. The Hong Kong Zoo is a popular respite for Hong Kong residents.

Come here early, around 7am, and you'll see Chinese residents going through the slow motions of tai chi, a disciplined physical routine of more than 200 individual movements, designed to exercise every muscle of the body and bring a sense of peace and balance to its practitioners.

Hong Kong Zoo Attractions and Facilities

In the Hong Kong Zoo gardens themselves, which retain some of their Victorian charm, flowers are almost always in bloom, from azaleas in the spring to wisteria and bauhinia in the summer and fall.

The various attractions include the reptile house, mammal enclosure, jaguar enclosure, aviary, bamboo garden, terrace garden, camellia garden, green house, magnolia garden, herb garden, bauhinia garden, palm garden and azalea garden.

The garden has high -tech facilities which prove to be the best for the visitors and focus on the ease of them. Other facilities offered for the visitors are light refreshment, children's playground, bronze statue, toilet, pavilion, kiosk memorial arch, rain shelter and an education centre.

Zoological History

The wild keeping at this zoo started long back during the year 1876. During this time the birds and animals were caged entirely for the purpose of entertainment and site seeing. There was no other aim other than showing them out to the visitors.

But with the expansion and further improvement of the zoo different aspects were altered. One among them was to give significance for various processes in captive breeding and also in conservation breeding programs. This happened during the mid-1970s and the animals were given more importance.

Presently the zoo aims at developing various activities so as to recognize and realize the value of these living creatures with proper research and conservation programs and displays. It also aims at understanding the interdependence and inter-relation of the creatures in the lively nature.

Animal Farm

Presently almost half or more of the area of garden aims exclusively at zoo keeping. There are around five hundred birds, seventy mammals, seventy reptiles and they are kept in almost forty enclosures.

The varieties of mammals present are Tamarin, Bornean Orang-utan, Short-beaked Echidna, Buff-cheeked Gibbon, Ring-tailed Lemur, Chinese Porcupine, Prevost's Tree Squirrel, Emperor Tamarin, Lion-tailed Macaque, Golden Lion Tamarin, Lesser Mouse Deer, Golden-headed Lion, Jaguar, Golden Agouti, Siamang, Lemur, White-faced Saki, Central American Agouti, Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth and White-faced Saki.

Different species of birds seen in the zoo are Bali mynah, White-winged Wood Duck, American Flamingo, White-naped Crane, Hawaiian Goose, Red-crowned Crane and Palawan Peacock Pheasant. The reptiles found are Malayan Box Turtle, Burmese Python, Greek Tortoise, Giant Asian Pond Turtle and Flowery Backed Box Terrapin.

Survival of the Species

Apart from site seeing, HKZBG is the best place to undergo various teaching regarding the zoo and the plants present in the garden. This is made possible due to wide array of documented zoological and botanical details. The garden itself promotes guided visit for almost fifteen thousand children each year.

It aims at promoting the aim of Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Garden and also to understand about the conservation of animals and plants and their importance in our society. Research projects are also allowed to be conducted for the college students.

Hong Kong Zoo is well known for its success in breeding birds on the verge of extinction and for supplying zoos around the world with new stock.

Hong Kong Zoo Forest

More than 1,000 species of plants, most of them indigenous to tropical and subtropical regions and planted throughout the Hong Kong Zoo grounds, include Burmese rosewood trees, varieties of bamboo, Indian rubber trees, camphor trees, a variety of camellia, herbs, and the Hong Kong orchid.

If you're tired of Central and its traffic, Hong Kong Zoo is a pleasant place to regain your perspective. Its popular with kids and there's also a children's playground. Admission is free.

Opening Hours

The eastern part of Hong Kong Zoo, containing most of the botanical gardens and the aviaries, is open daily from 6am to 10pm, while the western half, with its reptiles and mammals, is open daily from 6am to 7pm.

Getting to the Hong Kong Zoo

To reach it, take the MTR to Central and then walk 15 minutes up Garden Road to the corner of Upper Albert Road. Or take bus no. 3B or 12 from the Jardine House on Connaught Road Central.

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