Korea Central Zoo
| Korea Central Zoo | ||
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| Full name | Korea Central Zoo 조선 중앙 동물원 |
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| surface | approx. 1 km² | |
| opening | April 1959 | |
| Animal species | 650 | |
| Individuals | 5000 | |
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Coordinates: 39 ° 4 ′ 30 ″ N , 125 ° 48 ′ 57 ″ E
The Korea Central Zoo (조선 중앙 동물원), usually simply Pyongyang Zoo , is a zoo that is located in North Korea's capital, Pyongyang . It is located in the Taesŏng-guyŏk District , Dong Taesŏng-dong . In the immediate vicinity are the Taesŏngsan amusement park , the Taes sowiengsan mountain , the Taesŏng fortress and the cemetery of the revolutionary heroes . Also here is the Rakwŏn metro station of the Pyongyang Metro , which is served by the Hyŏksin line .
The zoo is around 1 km² and is home to 650 species and 5,000 animals. In addition to various enclosures, the zoo has an animal clinic , an aquarium , a dovecote and a pavilion where animals that have been donated are presented.
history
The zoo was established in April 1959 on the instructions of Kim Il-sung . One of the main attractions are the elephants that were received from the Ho Chi Minh City Zoo in 1959 . After that, only native animals were allowed to be kept, as showing non-native animals was viewed as capitalist . Since 2001 this no longer seems to be the case; since then over 400 foreign animal species have been given to the zoo. In 1985 the animal museum was opened. In April 2005 animals were exchanged for the first time with zoos from South Korea , including collar bears , ponies from Africa and Siberian weasels . In 2010, animal species were exchanged with the Hwange National Park ( Zimbabwe ), which has been criticized by many animal rights activists because they feared that they would not survive the conditions in North Korean zoos. Kim Jong-il visited the zoo in January 2011 , his successor Kim Jong-un also visited him in May 2012 and announced extensive renovations.
criticism
Foreign media, animal welfare organizations and other animal parks criticize the inappropriate keeping and the run-down facilities. A travel guide published by Lonely Planet describes the zoo as "[...] a depressing and boring place that is best avoided".
Trivia
A talking parrot is said to greet guests with the sentence "Long live the great leader General Kim Il-Sung" in English.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from September 26, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from October 8, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from October 10, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original dated June 13, 2004 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from October 8, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/05/15/news/korea.php
- ↑ Themba Sibanda - Additional reporting by The Times, London: 'Noah's Ark' deal row rages on. In: Times LIVE. Retrieved September 13, 2015 .
- ↑ Nordkorea-Info.de: The Central Zoo of Pyongyang - North Korea Information. In: www.nordkorea-info.de. Retrieved September 13, 2015 .
- ↑ Andrew Bender, Lonely Planet: Korea. Lonely Planet. P. 349, 2004. ISBN 1-74059-449-5
- ^ By Andy Kershaw: North Korea: The paranoid state. Retrieved September 13, 2015 .
