History
The first collection of wild animals in Yangon began in 1882 in connection with Arthur Purves Phayre, Phayre's Museum, then situated at the present site of the Yangon General Hospital. Funded by a public donation of 240,000 kyats(approximately US$240,000 then) construction started at the present site near the Royal Lake (Kandawgyi Lake) in 1901. The newly established zoological gardens was formally opened as the Victoria Memorial Park and Zoological Gardens in honor of Queen Victoria. The major attraction at the opening was the white elephant of King Thibaw, the last king of then Burma, whom the British had exiled to India only 20 years earlier. In 1908 the Victoria Memorial Park and Zoological Gardens Act was passed giving the establishment a legal recognition. The zoo was vandalized and looted during World War II. In 1951, the then Burmese government changed the name to “Rangoon Zoological Gardens and Parks.” In 1962, the zoo's area was enlarged to the present size of . The enlarged compound opened doors to new attractions: a museum of natural history on 4 May 1966, an amusement park on 7 October 1997 and an aquarium on 1 October 1998. The aquarium is operated by the Department of Fisheries. Between 2003 and 2006, the zoo underwent a MMK600M (approximately US$600K) renovation program, resulting in an increase in the number of visitors from 1.1 million in 2003-2004 and 1.8 million in 2004–2005 to 2.2 million in 2005–2006. A large number of animals at Yangon Zoo, including elephants, monkeys, rhinos, and bears, were relocated to the Naypyidaw Zoo in February 2008.Attractions
Land animals
The zoo has 145 species of land animals, including 8 endangered species (the tiger, the takin, Asian elephant, the Burmese large tortoise, the great hornbill, the marsh crocodile and the eld's deer). In 2000, the number of land animals in the zoo was 1203 while that in 2006 was 1100.Flora
In 2000, the zoo had over 300 species of flora totaling over 15,000 pieces.Museum of Natural History
The Natural History Museum, located in the southern end of the park, houses exhibits of taxidermy, specializing in rare species of Burmese fauna with explanatory charts and captions. Many of the curators are postgraduate students of zoology from the University of Yangon.Animal Performance Shows
Various animal shows are performed on weekends and public holidays during the fall and summer seasons (November to April).Aquarium
Opened in 1998, the aquarium is the first large scale aquarium in the country.Amusement Park
The amusement park has a number of rides including roller coaster.References
{{authority control Zoos in Myanmar Buildings and structures in Yangon 1906 establishments in Burma Zoos established in 1906