Kaohsiung’s Shoushan Zoo is to welcome a new American bison and group of 11 meerkats to its ranks, which are to be featured before the summer.
The new bison would provide company to the zoo’s only current bison, Nana (娜娜), the zoo said.
Nana was one year old when she came to the zoo after it reopened in 2022, but now that she is four, the zoo wants to introduce a companion to support her mental and physical development, it said.
Photo courtesy of the Shoushan Zoo
The new bison, who is also female, was found in cooperation with Leofoo Village Theme Park, it said.
The new meerkats are to join a mob already living near the zoo’s entrance, where they charm visitors when they first enter, it said.
The zoo asked the Taipei Zoo for an additional mob of meerkats, as the adorable mammals are popular and it has plenty of space, it said.
Photo courtesy of the Shoushan Zoo
The new arrivals would be the third mob of meerkats to join the zoo, which reopened in December 2022 after one-and-a-half years of renovations.
The animal park quickly regained its status as a popular tourist destination in southern Taiwan, welcoming 860,000 visitors last year.
It currently cares for 400 animals of 60 different species, including carnivores, omnivores, herbivores, primates and birds.
Some of its more famous members include the Formosan black bear Bobby (波比), the orangutan couple A-Hong (阿宏) and Mimi (咪咪), the white tiger Chaohai (昭海) and the African elephant A-Li (阿里).
In addition to caring for animals and improving the park’s infrastructure and services, the zoo is constantly seeking opportunities to bring in new members, it said.
In March last year, the zoo cooperated with Xpark to bring in a pair of capybaras.
The zoo said it is exploring the possibility of bringing in other large animals.
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