Changchun Zoo

City: Changchun

Country: China

Province: Jilin

Opened 1938

Species 200

The Changchun Zoo had closed for reconstruction in the year 2011. The most spectacular exhibition, is the “Big carnivore valley”; it is built on a hill, and is divided into five lush vegetated, huge enclosures to keep Siberian tigers, lions, wolves, Asian black bears and brown bears. A walkway, with glass-wall on each side, extends along a valley inside the hill, between the enclosures. There is also a separate big cat exhibition, which is built several years ago; the Siberian tigers, white tigers and white lions are separated from the visitors by a moat, which I think is too narrow to keep the big cats from jumping out. The North Chinese leopards and melanic South Chinese leopards, lynx and Cape hunting dogs are kept in smaller enclosures, with glass-wall in the front and vegetation inside. The small carnivore exhibition is really a surprise, and a lovely place. They even exhibit meerkats and oriental small-clawed otters, two species that rarely exhibit in Chinese zoos. The meerkats are kept in a big outdoor enclosure surrounding by glass-walls, with sandy ground. The oriental small-clawed otters are also kept in a similar big outdoor enclosure, with pool and land inside it. The red fox, Arctic fox, raccoon dog and mink are kept in smaller out-door enclosures with glass-walls in front. The Polar Animal House exhibits polar bear, South American fur-seals, harbour seals and penguins, every species has an in-door and a out-door pool, with under-water viewing glass-windows. The monkey house is a building with several glass-in-front cages. Any surprise is the lesser white-nosed guenons, which is also a species that rarely seen in Chinese zoos. The squirrel monkeys are kept in another bigger out-door enclosure, with more lush vegetation. The Ape House has only chimpanzees. The apes’ lush out-door enclosure is surrounded by a moat. The ring-tailed lemurs are kept on an island. The Asian elephants, white rhinoceros, hippo, giraffes have big-enough enclosures; the zebra and ostriches are kept together. A trestle extends across the Ungulate Free-ranging Area, which exhibits bharals, Barbary sheep, elands, llamas, Pere David’s deer, red deer, sika deer and fallow deer. The porcupines are kept out-door. Three species of kangaroos have a huge enclosures. There are red panda as well. The cranes, which including endangered white crane and white-hooded crane, are kept in a huge aviary. The pelicans and other smaller birds are kept in another huge aviary. The flamingos has their own aviary.