Chiang Mai Zoo, Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai Zoo and Aquarium, situated on Huay Kaew Road in Chiang Mai Province, just west of Chiang Mai University, covers an extensive area of 200 acres (81 hectares). It holds the distinction of being the first commercial zoo in northern Thailand, founded on 16 June 1977.

The origins of the zoo trace back to 1950 when Harold Mason Young, a son of American missionaries and a Burma native, started helping injured animals while working as a military adviser along the Thailand border. He attracted visitors, and in 1957, the Chiang Mai provincial government allocated 24 acres of land at the base of Doi Suthep, where the zoo opened to the public. After Young's passing in 1974, Chiang Mai Province took over the property, leading to its expansion to 200 acres. In 1977, it officially became the Chiang Mai Province Zoo.

Privately operated, Chiang Mai Zoo houses a diverse array of animals, along with two large aquariums. Notably, on 28 October 2008, the zoo unveiled an aquatic tunnel stretching 133 meters (436 feet) in length, claiming the title of the world's longest tunnel aquarium. Additionally, it boasts the largest marine aquarium in Asia.

The zoo boasts an impressive collection, representing around 400 animal species, including Humboldt penguins, Cape fur seals, koalas, Indian rhinoceroses, hippos, greater flamingos, gaurs, red-shanked doucs, Bornean orangutans, African spurred tortoises, Asiatic black bears, Malayan sun bears, giant anteaters, Indochinese tigers, Barbary sheep, Malayan tapirs, Asian elephants, giant pandas, and various reptile species.

Within the aquarium, visitors can marvel at an array of sea creatures, ranging from invertebrates to Asian arowanas. Among the carnivorous fish, sharks also inhabit this fascinating aquatic environment.