Pata Zoo ( th, สวนสัตว์พาต้า) is a

private 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 purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zool ...

on the 6th and 7th floors of Pata Pinklao Department Store,

Bang Yi Khan 250px, Rama VIII Bridge. 250px, Interior of Pata Department Store. 250px, Phra Pin Klao Bridge Pier (N12). Bang Yi Khan ( th, บางยี่ขัน, ) is a '' khwaeng'' (subdistrict) of Bang Phlat District, Bangkok's Thonburi side (west b ...

Subdistrict,

Bang Phlat District Bang Phlat ( th, บางพลัด, ) is one of the 50 districts (''khet'') of Bangkok, Thailand. Its neighboring districts, clockwise from the north, are Bang Kruai district, Bang Sue, Dusit, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok Noi, and Taling Chan. His ...

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

between Borommaratchachonnani and Arun Amarin Intersections close to

Phra Pinklao Bridge The Somdet Phra Pinklao Bridge ( th, สะพานสมเด็จพระปิ่นเกล้า, , ) is a bridge near the Grand Palace over the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Thailand. It links Rattanakosin Island with Thonburi. Backg ...

. Pata Zoo has operated since the beginning of 1983, along with the department store. For years it has been the focus of Thai animal rights activists who charge the zoo with inhumane treatment of animals.

Layout

The zoo is divided into two parts, upper and lower floor: left, Bua Noi *Sixth floor:

Nocturnal animals ''Nocturnal Animals'' is a 2016 American neo-noir psychological thriller film written, produced, and directed by Tom Ford in his second feature, based on the 1993 novel ''Tony and Susan'' by Austin Wright. The film stars Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenh ...

reptiles Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the Class (biology), class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsid, sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, Squamata, squamates (lizar ...

, and

amphibians Amphibians are four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arbore ...

. Of interest are the many

albino Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albino. Varied use and interpretation of the term ...

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 ...

s, which the zoo is able to breed successfully. Also displaying

specimen Specimen may refer to: Science and technology * Sample (material), a limited quantity of something which is intended to be similar to and represent a larger amount * Biological specimen or biospecimen, an organic specimen held by a biorepository ...

giant freshwater stingray The giant freshwater stingray (''Urogymnus polylepis'', also widely known by the junior synonym ''Himantura chaophraya'') is a species of stingray in the family Dasyatidae. It is found in large rivers and estuaries in Southeast Asia and Borneo, ...

, the largest freshwater stingray in the world and an endangered species. *Seventh floor: Birds,

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 ...

s and monkeys, penguins,

guinea pig The guinea pig or domestic guinea pig (''Cavia porcellus''), also known as the cavy or domestic cavy (), is a species of rodent belonging to the genus ''Cavia'' in the family Caviidae. Breeders tend to use the word ''cavy'' to describe the ani ...

s and

rabbits Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit specie ...

goats The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of Caprinae, goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a membe ...

and

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated s ...

Asian black bears The Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), also known as the Asiatic black bear, moon bear and white-chested bear, is a medium-sized bear species native to Asia that is largely adapted to an arboreal lifestyle. It lives in the Himalayas, sou ...

, sun bears,

tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...

leopard cat The leopard cat (''Prionailurus bengalensis'') is a small wild cat native to continental South, Southeast, and East Asia. Since 2002 it has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List as it is widely distributed although threatened by hab ...

leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant species in the genus '' Panthera'', a member of the cat family, Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, Southern Russia, a ...

s and

black panther A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present. They have been d ...

golden jackal The golden jackal (''Canis aureus''), also called common jackal, is a wolf-like canid that is native to Southeast Europe, Southwest Asia, South Asia, and regions of Southeast Asia. The golden jackal's coat varies in color from a pale creamy y ...

s, artificial waterfall and botanical garden. Featured here is a 30 year-old female

eastern gorilla The eastern gorilla (''Gorilla beringei'') is a critically endangered species of the genus ''Gorilla'' and the largest living primate. At present, the species is subdivided into two subspecies. There are 3,800 eastern lowland gorillas or Graue ...

named ''Bua Noi'' (บัวน้อย, 'little lotus'), the only gorilla left in Thailand. Most critics of the Pata Zoo have focused on the living conditions of ''Bua Noi''. She has been held captive in the zoo since 1987. The zoo veterinarian and zoo director insist that she is in good mental and physical health.

Public outrage

Animal rights activists submitted a petition of 35,000 signatures in September 2014 to Thailand's

Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation The Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP), th, กรมอุทยานแห่งชาติ สัตว์ป่า และพันธุ์พืช) is an agency of the Ministry of Natural Resources and En ...

(DNP) calling for the zoo's closure and the immediate removal of ''Bua Noi'' from the zoo. The DNP responded by declaring it could not withdraw the licence of Pata Zoo as the zoo had not done anything against the law. The DNP director-general argued that the Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act did not forbid animals from being caged in high-rise buildings and, therefore, Pata Zoo did not violate the law by maintaining a zoo on top of a building. The zoo immediately declared its innocence of any wrongdoing. In March 2015, it was reported that Thai authorities charged that Pata Zoo had broken several laws and ordered the removal of all large animals, including ''Bua Noi'', from the zoo. The zoo refused to free the gorilla and give her to another zoo. , ''Bua Noi'' was still in captivity at the zoo. Following a fire at the zoo later that year,

Gillian Anderson Gillian Leigh Anderson ( ; born August 9, 1968) is an American actress. Her credits include the roles of FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in the series ''The X-Files'', ill-fated socialite Lily Bart in Terence Davies's film ''The House of Mirth'' ...

and

PETA Peta or PETA may refer to: Acronym * Pembela Tanah Air, a militia established by the occupying Japanese in Indonesia in 1943 * People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an American animal rights organization * People Eating Tasty Animals, an ...

wrote to the owner and asked that he, "reflect honestly on what life is like for animals there and to come to the decision to close it." At the end of 2020,

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...

wrote a letter to Thailand’s environment minister, asking for him to “find it in his heart” to help her with her mission to release the gorilla.Jennifer Hassan
Cher saved the world’s loneliest elephant. Can she free Thailand’s last gorilla?
The Washington Post 10 December 2020.

References

External links

Facebook page

Pata Zoo in Bangkok, Thailand (video)
{{authority control Zoos in Thailand Bang Phlat district Zoos established in 1983 1983 establishments in Thailand