Shenzhen Safari Park () is a zoo in
Shenzhen, China. It is located in near Xili Lake in
Xili Subdistrict. and covers an area of 1.2 million square meters. It is the first zoo in China to have uncaged animals. There are over 300 species and more than ten thousand animals in the zoo, including endangered ones such as
Giant Pandas and
South China tigers.
History
The zoo first opened on September 28, 1993. Since 2004, the zoo's
black swans have been engaged in a
commensal relationship
Commensalism is a long-term biological interaction (symbiosis) in which members of one species gain benefits while those of the other species neither benefit nor are harmed. This is in contrast with mutualism, in which both organisms benefit fr ...
with the
koi
or more specifically , are colored varieties of the Amur carp ('' Cyprinus rubrofuscus'') that are kept for decorative purposes in outdoor koi ponds or water gardens.
Koi is an informal name for the colored variants of ''C. rubrofuscus'' ke ...
found in the zoo's waters. The swans had originally begun dipping their food pellets into the water to moisten the texture, and as a result, the koi learned to swim up to the swans and eat the pellets.
On May 1, 2014, a
lioness in the park gave birth to three cubs and neglected to care for them. Park workers had begun bottle-feeding the cubs in order to keep them nourished. A local pet store sent a
Golden Retriever
The Golden Retriever is a Scottish breed of retriever dog of medium size. It is characterised by a gentle and affectionate nature and a striking golden coat. It is commonly kept as a pet and is among the most frequently registered breeds ...
to care for the cubs, and the dog was accepted by the cubs as their
surrogate mother
Surrogacy is an arrangement, often supported by a legal agreement, whereby a woman agrees to delivery/labour for another person or people, who will become the child's parent(s) after birth. People may seek a surrogacy arrangement when pregnan ...
on May 16.
Controversy
On October 2, 2014, a horse that was pulling tourists in a heavy carriage in the zoo, for the twelfth time that day, collapsed and died.
The tourists, as well as some of the zoo's security guards, concluded that the horse's death was a result of overworking and
malnourishment
Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is "a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients" which adversely affects the body's tissues ...
.
Gallery
See also
*
List of parks in Shenzhen
The following is a partial list of parks in Shenzhen, China, sorted in alphabetical order.
List
Theme Parks
Former Parks
See also
*List of lakes and reservoirs in Shenzhen
The following is a list of lakes and reservoirs in Shenzhen, ...
References
External links
Shenzhen Safari Park
Nanshan District, Shenzhen
Safari parks
Parks in Shenzhen
Zoos established in 1993
1993 establishments in China
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