“Seeing the zoo become a center of tourism again has always been a dream of mine, and now I have seen that dream fulfilled,” Hsinchu Mayor Lin Chih-chien (林智堅) said. Lin, whose mayoral campaign platform last year centered on renovating the zoo, presided over the reopening with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文). He said that he hoped the zoo would usher in a new period of prosperity for the city. The zoo has also reduced the number of animals it cares for, from 70 species to 44, to make sure each group has ample space, zoo director Yang Chia-min (楊家民) said. The Hsinchu zoo also kept the pen of an elephant that was gifted to the zoo, the city government said, adding that its preserved bones would be displayed in the building, along with historic photographs of the zoo.

Source: Taipei Times December 28, 2019 15:56 UTC