Hong Kong Zoological And Botanical Gardens
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The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens is one of the oldest
zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for Conservation biology, conservation purposes. The term ''zoological g ...
logical and
botanical Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...
centres in the world, and the oldest park in
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
. Founded in 1864, its first stage was opened to the public in 1871.HKZBG website: Background
 It occupies an area of , in
Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
, on the northern slope of
Victoria Peak Victoria Peak is a hill on the western half of Hong Kong Island. It is also known as Mount Austin, and locally as The Peak only generally. With an elevation of , it is the highest hill on Hong Kong Island, ranked 29 in terms of elevation in H ...
. Similar to
Hong Kong Park The Hong Kong Park is a public park next to Cotton Tree Drive in Central, Hong Kong. Built at a cost of HK$398 million and opened on 23 May 1991, it covers an area of and is an example of modern design and facilities blending with na ...
, Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens provides a natural environment and atmosphere. While physically smaller than Hong Kong Park it contains more plants, animals and facilities.


History

The park was previously named ''Bing Tau Fa Yuen'' (「兵頭花園」). "Bing Tau" literally means "the head of the soldiers" or the "Commander-in-Chief". According to Hong Kong's
Leisure and Cultural Services Department The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), is a department in the Government of Hong Kong. It reports to the Culture, Sports & Tourism Bureau, headed by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism. It provides leisure and cultural ...
, it was nicknamed as such by the city's Cantonese community, as it was the former site of the city's Government House. Others said ''Bing Tau'' was just the phonetic
transliteration Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one writing system, script to another that involves swapping Letter (alphabet), letters (thus ''wikt:trans-#Prefix, trans-'' + ''wikt:littera#Latin, liter-'') in predictable ways, such as ...
of the first two syllables of the word ''botanical''. In the old days, many lovers liked to go there on a date. During the Japanese occupation, it was renamed as ''Taishō Kōen'' (
Hiragana is a Japanese syllabary, part of the Japanese writing system, along with ''katakana'' as well as ''kanji''. It is a phonetic lettering system. The word ''hiragana'' literally means "flowing" or "simple" kana ("simple" originally as contrast ...
: たいしょうこうえん,
Kanji are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese ...
: 大正公園). The founder of
The Garden Company Limited The Garden Company Limited () is a Hong Kong-based bakery and confectionery manufacturer. The company was one of the first Chinese owned businesses created to sell modern-style food products in the territory. They also made bread and confectione ...
discussed at the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens and came up with the idea of starting a company; therefore, it was named after "Garden" and its Cantonese transliteration "Garden". The park was closed from 1931 to 1933 to allow for the construction of a reservoir under the park.。 In the past, many world famous people visited the park under the name of Wildlife Fund, such as
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from El ...
(1983) and
Princess Anne Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of K ...
of England (1988).


Memorials

At the southern entrance to the gardens, at
Upper Albert Road Upper Albert Road is a road on the Government Hill in the Central area of Hong Kong. The road was named after Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the consort of Queen Victoria. Surrounding Government House, the residence of former Governors ...
, is the
Chinese War Memorial The Chinese War Memorial is installed in the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens. Erected in 1928, the memorial originally commemorated Chinese people who died during World War I. The structure was damaged during World War II, then repaired ...
, dedicated to the Chinese who died assisting the Allies during World War I and World War II. The inscription on the lintel reads: "In Memory of the Chinese who died loyal to the Allied cause in the Wars of 1914-1918 and 1939-1945". The granite arch in the shape of a ''
paifang A ''paifang'', also known as a ''pailou'', is a traditional style of Chinese architectural arch or gateway structure. Evolved from the Indian subcontinent's ''torana'' through the introduction of Buddhism to China, it has developed many styles ...
'' was erected in 1928. Reference to the Second World War was added later. A
bronze statue Bronze is the most popular metal for cast metal sculptures; a cast bronze sculpture is often called simply "a bronze". It can be used for statues, singly or in groups, reliefs, and small statuettes and figurines, as well as bronze elements t ...
of
King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of Ind ...
was erected in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of
British colonial rule The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...
over Hong Kong (1841–1941).


Plants

There are more than 1,000 species of plants in the gardens, mostly indigenous to tropical and sub-tropical regions. It includes some rare species like the
dawn redwood ''Metasequoia glyptostroboides'', the dawn redwood, is a fast-growing, endangered deciduous conifer. It is the sole living species of the genus ''Metasequoia'', one of three genera in the subfamily Sequoioideae of the family Cupressaceae. It now ...
and the local
Ailanthus ''Ailanthus'' (; derived from ''ailanto,'' an Ambonese word probably meaning "tree of the gods" or "tree of heaven") is a genus of trees belonging to the family Simaroubaceae, in the order Sapindales (formerly Rutales or Geraniales). The genus ...
. Besides these, some species which can produce flowers throughout the year can also be found there, like the
Hong Kong orchid tree Hong may refer to: Places * Høng, a town in Denmark *Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and specia ...
. Different Species are grown in the Thematic gardens in the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens.


Bamboo Garden

This garden grows about ten times bigger than other gardens.


Camellia Garden

More than 30 species are grown in this garden. Crapnell's camellia (''
Camellia crapnelliana ''Camellia crapnelliana'', Crapnell's camellia (), is a flowering ''Camellia'' native to Hong Kong and other parts of south-eastern China. In 1903, the species was first collected and described by W. J. Tutcher from Mount Parker, Hong Kong; o ...
''), Grantham's camellia ('' Camellia granthamiana'') and Hong Kong camellia (''
Camellia hongkongensis ''Camellia hongkongensis'' (), the Hong Kong camellia, is a species of ''camellia''. Description ''Camellia hongkongensis'' is a small evergreen tree which can grow to feet tall. Of the camellia species native to Hong Kong, only this species be ...
'') are native to Hong Kong. Some introduced rare species such as Yunnan camellia (''
Camellia reticulata ''Camellia reticulata'' (syn. ''C. heterophylla'')
 is a
Camellia nitidissima ''Camellia petelotii'' is a species of plant in the family Theaceae. It is found in China (endemic in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China) and Vietnam. It may be called the golden camellia and synonyms include ''C. chrysantha ...
'' and ''
Camellia euphlebia ''Camellia euphlebia'' is a species of plant in the family Theaceae. It is found in China and Vietnam. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural ...
'') can also be found in this garden.


Magnolia Garden

This garden grows 5 species of
magnolia ''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendro ...
: * Chinese magnolia (''
Magnolia coco ''Magnolia coco'', the coconut magnolia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Magnoliaceae, native to southern China, Taiwan, and northern Vietnam. A small tree from in the garden, it is hardy to zone 9, and can also be kept as a house ...
'') * Yulan (''
Magnolia denudata ''Magnolia denudata'', the lilytree or Yulan magnolia (), is native to central and eastern China. It has been cultivated in Chinese Buddhist temple gardens since 600 AD. Its flowers were regarded as a symbol of purity in the Tang Dynasty and it ...
'') * Purple magnolia (''
Magnolia liliiflora ''Magnolia liliiflora'' is a small tree native to southwest China (in Sichuan and Yunnan), but cultivated for centuries elsewhere in China and also Japan. Variously known by many names, including Mulan magnolia, purple magnolia, red magnolia, li ...
'') * Saucer magnolia (''
Magnolia × soulangeana ''Magnolia'' × ''soulangeana'' (''Magnolia denudata'' × '' Magnolia liliiflora''), the saucer magnolia, is a hybrid flowering plant in the genus ''Magnolia'' and family Magnoliaceae. It is a deciduous tree with large, early-blooming flowers in ...
'') * Southern magnolia (''
Magnolia grandiflora ''Magnolia grandiflora'', commonly known as the southern magnolia or bull bay, is a tree of the family Magnoliaceae native to the Southeastern United States, from Virginia to central Florida, and west to East Texas. Reaching in height, it is a ...
'').


Greenhouse

Various species of
orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...
s,
fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except t ...
s,
bromeliad The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot flowering plants of about 80 genera and 3700 known species, native mainly to the tropical Americas, with several species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, ...
s,
vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselv ...
s and carnivorous plants are grown in the greenhouse.


Palm Garden

This garden grows over 30 species under 22 genera of the palm family.


Bauhinia Garden

This garden grows 8 species including Hong Kong orchid tree (''
Bauhinia blakeana ''Bauhinia'' () is a large genus of flowering plants in the subfamily Cercidoideae and tribe Bauhinieae, in the large flowering plant family Fabaceae, with a pantropical distribution. The genus was named after the Bauhin brothers Gaspard and Jo ...
''), purple camel's foot (''
Bauhinia purpurea ''Bauhinia purpurea'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to the Indian subcontinent and Myanmar, and widely introduced elsewhere in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. Common names include orchid tree, purple ...
'') and camel's foot tree (''
Bauhinia variegata ''Bauhinia variegata'' is a species of flowering plant in the legume family, Fabaceae. It is native to an area from China through Southeast Asia to the Indian subcontinent. Common names include orchid tree (though not belonging to the family O ...
'').


Azalea Garden

This garden grows over 10
azalea Azaleas are flowering shrubs in the genus ''Rhododendron'', particularly the former sections ''Tsutsusi'' (evergreen) and '' Pentanthera'' (deciduous). Azaleas bloom in the spring (April and May in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, and Octob ...
species including red azalea (''
Rhododendron simsii ''Rhododendron simsii'' (杜鵑) is a rhododendron species native to East Asia, where it grows at altitudes of . Description It is a twiggy evergreen or semi-evergreen shrub growing to in height, with leaves that are ovate, elliptic-ovate or obo ...
''), lovely azalea ('' Rhododendron pulchrum''), purple azalea (''Rhododendron pulchrum'' var. ''phoeniceum'') and white azalea (''
Rhododendron mucronatum ''Rhododendron mucronatum'' is a rhododendron species native to China, where it grows at altitudes of . This evergreen shrub grows to in height, with leaves that are lanceolate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf ...
''), those are native to Hong Kong. There are also rare species such as yellow azalea (''
Rhododendron molle ''Rhododendron molle'' (羊踯躅) is a rhododendron species native to China and Japan, where it grows at altitudes of sea level to 2500 meters. This deciduous shrub grows to in height, with leaves that are oblong to oblong-lanceolate, 5–11 ...
'') and Westland's rhododendron (''
Rhododendron moulmainense ''Rhododendron moulmainense'', Westland's rhododendron, is a species of '' Rhododendron'' native to southern China (Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hong Kong, Hunan, Yunnan), Myanmar, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is an evergreen shr ...
'').


Herb Garden

Various species of
herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...
are grown in the garden.


Animals

The size of the garden precludes the keeping of very large
mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...
species such as
giraffes The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa''. It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth. Traditionally, giraffes were thought to be one species, ''Giraffa camelopardalis ...
. Nevertheless, the collection of
primates Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians (monkeys and apes, the latter including huma ...
is varied, including such diverse creatures such as the
Hoffmann's two-toed sloth Hoffmann's two-toed sloth (''Choloepus hoffmanni''), also known as the northern two-toed sloth is a species of sloth from Central and South America. It is a solitary, largely nocturnal and arboreal animal, found in mature and secondary rainf ...
,
golden lion tamarin The golden lion tamarin (''Leontopithecus rosalia'', pt, mico-leão-dourado , ), also known as the golden marmoset, is a small New World monkey of the family Callitrichidae. Native to the Atlantic coastal forests of Brazil, the golden lion tam ...
,
gibbon Gibbons () are apes in the family Hylobatidae (). The family historically contained one genus, but now is split into four extant genera and 20 species. Gibbons live in subtropical and tropical rainforest from eastern Bangladesh to Northeast India ...
,
orangutan Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in the genus ...
,
ring-tailed lemur The ring-tailed lemur (''Lemur catta'') is a large strepsirrhine primate and the most recognized lemur due to its long, black and white ringed tail. It belongs to Lemuridae, one of five lemur families, and is the only member of the ''Lemur'' ge ...
and
black-and-white ruffed lemur The black-and-white ruffed lemur (''Varecia variegata'') is an endangered species of ruffed lemur, one of two which are endemic to the island of Madagascar. Despite having a larger range than the red ruffed lemur, it has a much smaller populati ...
. Apart from the plants, there are over 400 birds, 50 mammals and 20 reptiles.


Mammals and reptiles

A taxidermy specimen of Siu Fa, the female
jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...
that lived in Hong Kong for nearly 20 years is on display at the Education and Exhibition Centre of HKZBG from 5 March 2009. A pigeon pair of
Bornean orangutan The Bornean orangutan (''Pongo pygmaeus'') is a species of orangutan endemic to the island of Borneo. Together with the Sumatran orangutan (''Pongo abelii'') and Tapanuli orangutan (''Pongo tapanuliensis''), it belongs to the only genus of great ...
twins were born in the HKZBG in July 2011, joining the big family of the gardens. This is the first-ever successful breeding of Bornean orangutan twins in the HKZBG, bringing to five the total number of this primate in the gardens To enhance public understanding and appreciation of all living creatures, the two female
meerkat MeerKAT, originally the Karoo Array Telescope, is a radio telescope consisting of 64 antennas in the Meerkat National Park, in the Northern Cape of South Africa. In 2003, South Africa submitted an expression of interest to host the Square Kilom ...
s introduced to the HKZBG are aged 4 and 5, and are housed in the newly-decorated "Meerkat's Home". In 2020, The mammal and reptile section of the Zoological & Botanical Gardens were temporarily closed due to the
COVID-19 epidemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identifie ...
. The mammal families at the gardens expanded during the epidemic. To celebrate its 150s anniversary in 2021, a female
Asian small-clawed otter The Asian small-clawed otter (''Aonyx cinereus''), also known as the oriental small-clawed otter and the small-clawed otter, is an otter species native to South and Southeast Asia. It has short claws that do not extend beyond the pads of its web ...
introduced to the HKZBG.
Yellow-cheeked gibbon The yellow-cheeked gibbon (''Nomascus gabriellae''), also called the golden-cheeked gibbon, the yellow-cheeked crested gibbon, the golden-cheeked crested gibbon, the red-cheeked gibbon, or the buffed-cheeked gibbon, is a species of gibbon native ...
s,
ring-tailed lemur The ring-tailed lemur (''Lemur catta'') is a large strepsirrhine primate and the most recognized lemur due to its long, black and white ringed tail. It belongs to Lemuridae, one of five lemur families, and is the only member of the ''Lemur'' ge ...
s,
white-faced saki The white-faced saki (''Pithecia pithecia''), called the Guianan saki and the golden-faced saki, is a species of the New World saki monkey. They can be found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela. This species lives in the und ...
,
black-and-white ruffed lemur The black-and-white ruffed lemur (''Varecia variegata'') is an endangered species of ruffed lemur, one of two which are endemic to the island of Madagascar. Despite having a larger range than the red ruffed lemur, it has a much smaller populati ...
s and
cotton-top tamarin The cotton-top tamarin (''Saguinus oedipus'') is a small New World monkey weighing less than . This New World monkey can live up to 24 years, but most of them die by 13 years. One of the smallest primates, the cotton-top tamarin is easily recogn ...
s all welcomed new additions to the family. The reptiles are primarily snakes, crocodilians, and turtles such as the
African spurred tortoise The African spurred tortoise (''Centrochelys sulcata''), also called the sulcata tortoise, is a species of tortoise inhabiting the southern edge of the Sahara desert in Africa. It is the largest mainland species of tortoise in the world, and the ...
,
radiated tortoise The radiated tortoise (''Astrochelys radiata'') is a tortoise species in the family Testudinidae. Although this species is native to and most abundant in southern Madagascar, it can also be found in the rest of this island, and has been intro ...
,
Chinese alligator The Chinese alligator (; ), also known as the Yangtze alligator (), China alligator, or historically the muddy dragon, is a crocodilian endemic to China. It and the American alligator (''A. mississippiensis'') are the only living species in the ...
and
Burmese python The Burmese python (''Python bivittatus'') is one of the largest species of snakes. It is native to a large area of Southeast Asia and is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Until 2009, it was considered a subspecies of the Indian python ...
.


Birds

Over 100 avian species have successfully reared young, including the Japanese
red-crowned crane The red-crowned crane (''Grus japonensis''), also called the Manchurian crane or Japanese crane (; the Chinese character '丹' means 'red', '頂/顶' means 'crown' and '鶴/鹤' means 'crane'), is a large East Asian crane among the rarest cran ...
, peacock pheasant and the
Bali mynah The Bali myna (''Leucopsar rothschildi''), also known as Rothschild's mynah, Bali starling, or Bali mynah, locally known as jalak Bali, is a medium-sized (up to long), stocky myna, almost wholly white with a long, drooping crest, and black tip ...
, all of which are highly endangered in the wild. Just outside the greenhouse are several large aviaries housing species of
waterfowl Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which in ...
, such as the
wood duck The wood duck or Carolina duck (''Aix sponsa'') is a species of perching duck found in North America. The drake wood duck is one of the most colorful North American waterfowl. Description The wood duck is a medium-sized perching duck. A typi ...
,
flamingo Flamingos or flamingoes are a type of Wader, wading bird in the Family (biology), family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas ...
,
blue crane The blue crane (''Grus paradisea''), also known as the Stanley crane and the paradise crane, is the national bird of South Africa. The species is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN. Description The blue crane is a tall, ground-dwelling bird, ...
and intensely-coloured
scarlet ibis The scarlet ibis (''Eudocimus ruber'') is a species of ibis in the bird family Threskiornithidae. It inhabits tropical South America and part of the Caribbean. In form, it resembles most of the other twenty-seven extant species of ibis, but its ...
, perching atop a man-made waterfall. There are also terrestrial birds; many of them small, and with several species from East Asia and Africa.
Yellow-casqued hornbill The yellow-casqued hornbill (''Ceratogymna elata''), also known as the yellow-casqued wattled hornbill, is found in the rainforest of coastal regions of West Africa, for example in Côte d'Ivoire. The yellow-casqued hornbill is one of the larges ...
are among the HKZBG's larger avian species. An injured
black-faced spoonbill The black-faced spoonbill (''Platalea minor'') is a species of wading bird in the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae, found in eastern Asia. This species has the most restricted distribution of the six spoonbill species, and it is the ...
was rescued in
Nam Sang Wai Nam Sang Wai is a wetland area in San Tin, New Territories, Hong Kong to the north of Yuen Long. It is considered ecologically important, and serves as a stopping place for migratory birds. It is also a popular recreational destination, e ...
by staff of the
Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (; formerly the Agriculture and Fisheries Department () before 2000, of the Hong Kong Government is responsible for agriculture and fisheries in Hong Kong, conservation projects and issu ...
, and transferred to the KFBG Wild Animal Rescue Centre in March 2018. This spoonbill, which was unable to fly after an operation, will be able to join the other waterfowl at HKZBG, and so will have excellent human-provided care as well as companions in captivity. To celebrate its 150th anniversary this year, the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens will hold a number of free public activities, in addition to adding black-crowned cranes,
great white pelican The great white pelican (''Pelecanus onocrotalus'') also known as the eastern white pelican, rosy pelican or white pelican is a bird in the pelican family. It breeds from southeastern Europe through Asia and Africa, in swamps and shallow lakes. ...
s, and
great curassow The great curassow (''Crax rubra'') is a large, pheasant-like bird from the Neotropical rainforests, its range extending from eastern Mexico, through Central America to western Colombia and northwestern Ecuador. Male birds are black with curly cr ...
, in addition to
bird-watching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, by ...
platforms. The small brick buildings that house some of the smaller birds were once staff quarters, for Chinese workers at the park. These were recently renovated, resulting in the destruction of a row of defunct Victorian
gas lamp Gas lighting is the production of artificial light from combustion of a gaseous fuel, such as hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, propane, butane, acetylene, ethylene, coal gas (town gas) or natural gas. The light is produced either directly ...
posts; these may have been the last remaining such lamps in Hong Kong, and possibly in all of East Asia.


Animal welfare concerns

The gardens have come under fire for 'outdated' facilities, and ‘inadequate, overcrowded conditions’ for the animals housed within its confines. In 2015, the ''South China Morning Post'' reported that the Kadoorie Institute, the
SPCA A Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is a common name for non-profit animal welfare organizations around the world. The oldest SPCA organization is the RSPCA, which was founded in England in 1824. SPCA organizations operate in ...
,
Animals Asia Foundation Animals Asia Foundation (AAF) is a Hong Kong-based charity that seeks to end cruelty to animals in Asia. Founding The AAF was founded in 1998 by Jill Robinson, who felt compelled to create the organisation after learning of the plight of the As ...
and the orangutan foundation Orangutanaid all have expressed “sincere doubts over the welfare of its animals,” and recommended that the park be “returned to its original status as a botanical garden". Later that year,
Jane Goodall Dame Jane Morris Goodall (; born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall on 3 April 1934), formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English primatologist and anthropologist. Seen as the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best know ...
expressed her concern over the “treatment of orangutans in Hong Kong's zoo", saying that they were “not in a good situation", and adding that "large animals in small cages with nothing to do are not happy animals".


Transport

The main entrance is located at
Upper Albert Road Upper Albert Road is a road on the Government Hill in the Central area of Hong Kong. The road was named after Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the consort of Queen Victoria. Surrounding Government House, the residence of former Governors ...
. A number of bus routes give access to the facility. Admission is free to all parts of the Zoological and Botanical Gardens.


See also

*
Central and Western Heritage Trail The Central and Western Heritage Trail is a Heritage trails in Hong Kong, Heritage Trail in Hong Kong, that was designed by the Antiquities and Monuments Office of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. It covers the Central and Western Dist ...
*
King George V Memorial Park, Hong Kong King George V Memorial Park, Hong Kong is an urban park in Sai Ying Pun and one of the few parks in Hong Kong bearing the former colonial links to the territory's past. The park contains a basketball court, a hard surface football ground, si ...
*
List of urban public parks and gardens of Hong Kong Urban public parks and gardens in Hong Kong include: Note: Most public parks and gardens in Hong Kong are managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD). Hong Kong Island * Aberdeen Promenade (Aberdeen) * Aldrich Bay Park ( Al ...
*
Edward Youde Aviary The Edward Youde Aviary () is a aviary built over a natural valley at the southern corner of Hong Kong Park, which is located in Central at the bottom of the north eastern slope of Victoria Peak in Hong Kong. The Edward Youde Aviary was ope ...
*
Ocean Park Hong Kong Ocean Park Hong Kong, commonly known as Ocean Park, is a marine mammal park, oceanarium, animal theme park and amusement park situated in Wong Chuk Hang and Nam Long Shan in the Southern District of Hong Kong. It is the second largest th ...
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Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG) (), formerly known as Kadoorie Experimental and Extension Farm (), or Kadoorie Farm (), was originally set up to aid poor farmers in the New Territories in Hong Kong. It later shifted its focus to promote b ...


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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zoological and Botanical Gardens 1871 establishments in Hong Kong Botanical gardens in Hong Kong Central, Hong Kong Urban public parks and gardens in Hong Kong Zoos in Hong Kong