The Taipei City Zoo yesterday reopened its bird ecology park, allowing the public to get close to the 32 species of birds it houses.
The park was built in 1986, but its nets were damaged by typhoons, so it was closed for renovation last year, the zoo said.
The renovation project included measures to protect the birds from avian influenza and to improve the arrangement of plants inside the area, it added.
The renovated park is divided into three sections, which are arranged with plants according to the birds’ natural habitats.
The floor has bushes and leaves so that birds that live on the ground, such as the crested pigeon, can flip over the leaves to find food, the zoo said, adding that sometimes the parks’ crested pigeons can be seen sunbathing or playing in the sand, and a pair of them have begun building a nest.
The park’s design allows zoo staff to hang fruit and other food on higher tree branches, mimicking the natural environment of birds that live in the top or middle layers of the forest, so that species like the violet turaco can find food where they would if they had lived in the wild.
New feeding platforms have been installed next to the park’s walkways, which allows visitors to observe the birds up close, the zoo said, adding that visitors will be asked to disinfect their hands before entering the park area, and that feeding, touching or chasing the birds is prohibited.
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