Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens

The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens is one of the oldest zoological and centres in the world.

It is located at Mid-levels, on the northern slope of Victoria Peak in Hong Kong and has been opened to the public since 1871. It is a venerable park and was previously named ''Ping Tao Garden'' . Bing Tau literally means the head of the soldiers or the Commander-in-Chief. Some said it was named such way by the Chinese because it was once the private garden of the governor. Other said Bing Tau was just the phonetic transliteration of the first two syllables of the word ''botanical''. In the old days, many lovers liked to go there on a date.

A bronze statue of King George VI was erected in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of British colonial rule over Hong Kong .

Similar to Hong Kong Park, Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens provides a natural environment and atmosphere in Central District. It is bigger than Hong Kong Park and contains more plants, birds and facilities.

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 and the local Ailanthus. Besides these, some species which can produce flowers throughout the year can also be found there, like the Hong Kong Orchid Tree.

Different Species are grown in the Thematic gardens in the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens.

Bamboo Garden

This garden grows about 20 species from 7 genera of Bamboo family.

Camellia Garden

More than 30 species are grown in this garden.
Crapnell's Camellia , Grantham's Camellia and Hong Kong Camellia are native to Hong Kong.

Some introduced rare species such as Yunnan Camellia and Golden Camellia can also be found in this garden.

Magnolia Garden

This garden grows 5 species of Magnolia:
* Chinese Magnolia
* Yulan
* Purple Magnolia
* Saucer Magnolia
* Southern Magnolia .

Palm Garden

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

Bauhinia Garden

This garden grows 8 species including Hong Kong Orchid Tree , Purple Camel's Foot and Camel's Foot Tree .

Azalea Garden

This garden grows over 10 Azalea species including Red Azalea , Lovely Azalea , Purple Azalea and White Azalea , those are native to Hong Kong. There are also rare species such as Yellow Azalea and Westland's Rhododendron .

Herb Garden

Various species of herb are grown in the garden.

Greenhouse

Various species of Orchids, Ferns, Bromeliads, Vines and Carnivorous Plants are grown in the Greenhouse.

Animals

Apart from the plants, there are over 600 birds, 70 mammals and 40 reptiles, including many different species.

Mammals & Reptiles

The size of the Garden precludes the keeping of very large Mammal species such as elephants or giraffes. Nevertheless the collection of primates is varied, including such diverse creatures as the Golden Lion Tamarin, orangutan and Ring-tailed Lemur. The reptiles are primarily snakes and turtles such as the Malaysian Giant Turtle, Chinese Alligator, and Burmese Python.

Birds

Birds include the Red-crowned Crane, Flamingo and Peacock Pheasant.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 disused Victorian gas lamp posts, probably the last remaining such row in Hong Kong, and possibly in East Asia.

Transport

All parts of the Garden are free to the public. The main entrance is located at Upper Albert Road.