Shoushan Zoo in Kaohsiung on Sunday opened a coffee shop housed in a former chimpanzee enclosure, officially completing the last piece of a multiyear renovation project.
At the opening ceremony for Light Is Cafe, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said the repurposed enclosure provided an opportunity for people to reflect on what it is like to be caged for an extended period.
Chen added that the efforts of the zoo were important to advance education and the understanding of the rights of living organisms.
Photo: CNA
According to the manager of the cafe; the space was redesigned by Zutto Wu (吳透), a renowned architect who has designed some of the world’s most well-received coffee shops and bars.
TWO CONCEPTS
The manager said Light Is Cafe was designed around the concepts of “observation” and “transparency” to enable patrons to experience and relate to the perspectives of animals in captivity.
The architectural reengineering of the 45-year-old zoo was designed with the input of the Taiwan Veterinary Medical Association and the National Architects’ Association and ecology experts, the zoo said.
For the renovation, sky bridges were constructed for visitors to traverse between habitats, while several sections were repurposed, eventually winning the zoo the 22nd Public Construction Golden Quality Award at the end of last year.
In December last year, the zoo launched a soft opening with limits on the number of daily visitors to get animals accustomed to seeing people in more open spaces, while continuing to observe COVID-19 pandemic protocols that were still imposed at that time.
Even with the visitor cap, which was lifted on Saturday, the zoo attracted more than 700,000 visitors during its reservations-only soft opening period.
WATER PLAZA
Aside from the full opening of the zoo, Saturday also saw the opening of an interactive water plaza on what used to be a community square in the old zoo.
Additionally, with the reopening, the zoo announced that children under the age of 12 may visit the facility for free, adding that it will stay open for an extra hour-and-a-half past its usual 5pm closing time until 6:30pm on Saturdays and Sundays for the duration of the summer vacation.
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