U Tun Min Oo Merchandiser

I TOOK my son to the zoo so our visit could coincide with the 100th anniversary celebration. I heard there would be a lot of activities like fun fairs and market festivals so we wanted to go and have a look around. I liked almost everything but most of all I liked the music performances. I really enjoyed myself during the market festivals, especially for the food. We tried food from a wide variety of vendors’ stalls. One of my favourite things about the zoo is being able to take photos with the tiger cubs. There was nothing like that when I was a kid. But I couldn’t get a photo of them during the centenary celebration because there were too many people around. I like the tigers the best but I also like the elephants and snakes. I think the zoo is the best family relaxation and recreation area in Yangon because it provides not only pleasure but also knowledge about wild animals. Plus there is a wide variety of fun activities for children in addition to seeing the animals. I mostly take my family to the zoo on special holidays and sometimes on Sunday's. There have been significant improvements to the zoo as a result of the major renovations of the past few years. It is neater and tidier, and the landscaping is more pleasant.

Ma Seinn Lei Wai Student

IT had been a long time since my last visit to the zoo – my friends and I always plan to go, but then something comes up. So I made sure to go with my family during the 100th anniversary event. I also went because I wanted to see the tiger cubs. I watched the music show and the animal performances, but I got fatigued because there were huge crowds. The celebration attracted a lot of people. I enjoyed the food, and played games at the amusement park next to the zoo. I like the tiger cubs very much – I had my picture taken with one as a memento of my visit – but the animals I love best are the rabbits. I prefer the zoo to other recreation areas like Kandawgyi Park because there are a wide range of things to do for people of all ages, including looking at the wild animals. So we can do what we like and observe the animals at the same time. After such a long time since my last visit, it feels different being here now. I notice there are changes in some places, like the carnivores’ house where the tigers are kept. The zoo is now cleaner and more pleasant than it was before, and the landscaping is more pleasant. The atmosphere is better for relaxing.

U Myint Swe Director, Yangon Zoological Gardens

THE 100th anniversary event is very special because it happens only once. So we tried very hard to celebrate on a grand scale to make it a memorable occasion. To make the event enjoyable for people of all ages, we included activities like a market festival and music shows, and we enhanced the quality of our usual animal performances. The zoo renovations that started in 2003 were like special preparations leading up to the event, so there were no major renovations to make for the event itself. I would say the event was a complete success because a lot of people learned about it through the media and came on the opening day on January 25. We had about 25,000 visitors, compared with the usual 3000 people we get on weekdays. The event is a milestone for Myanmar, bringing prestige to our nation because we can show that we are not behind other countries in the area of wildlife conservation. The zoo is an exceptional recreation area because it also provides visitors with an education and enhances their knowledge about the importance of wildlife conservation. We plan to make the zoo even better by making the animal environments more natural and comfortable, and by adding more species.