Kaohsiung’s Shoushan Zoo on Wednesday broke ground on a NT$490 million (US$17.52 million) reconstruction project scheduled to be completed by September next year.
“After Shoushan Zoo is rebuilt, it will be the best in Taiwan,” Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said at the groundbreaking ceremony.
The zoo is Taiwan’s second-largest after Taipei Zoo. It was established 43 years ago in Sizihwan (西子灣), then moved to its current location, also in Gushan District (鼓山), to make room for Sun Yat-sen University.
Photo: CNA
It underwent a NT$150 million renovation in 2009 following a series of headline-grabbing incidents that brought to light the government-run facility’s poor management and knowledge of the animals in its care.
The latest round of improvements is to be the most extensive in Shoushan Zoo’s history, as well as its longest closure after it shuttered in June amid a nationwide COVID-19 alert.
The biggest change is to come to the animal enclosures, which are to be transformed into “free-range” areas through which visitors would travel on elevated footpaths, the plan shows.
Mockups also include a section for parents and children in a bid to make the park more family friendly.
After seeing the blueprints, Chen said he expects the renovated zoo to be the best in Taiwan.
The mayor also thanked 13 companies involved in the design and construction for the project, as well as China Steel Corp, CPC Corp, Taiwan and Taiwan Power Co, as well as the central government for additional funding.
Major improvements are coming to the Formosan black bear, Asian animal and chimpanzee enclosures, Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau Director Chou Ling-wen (周玲妏) said.
A water feature popular with children in the center of the zoo would be built out into a recessed play fountain, while a skywalk running throughout the park would connect its many attractions while remaining accessible to wheelchairs and strollers, Chou said.
Architect Jay Chiu (邱文傑), who designed the new layout, said that the skyways would conceal visitors from the animals.
The chimpanzee enclosure would be converted into a restaurant to show visitors what it is like to be locked inside a cage, while three areas would be set up across the park for visitors to feed Formosan rock macaques, Chiu said.
After the renovation, it plans to add to its 300 animals and 70 species, Shoushan Zoo said.
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