1986 A Big Move for Taipei Zoo

Tens of thousands of people lined Zhong­shan North Road to watch as a procession of brightly colored trucks carried Lin Wang the elephant, giraffes, tortoises, lions, and other animals—more than 1,000 in all—to their new home in Mu­zha. One of the biggest events of 1986, the festivities also included lion and dragon dances.

The Sinorama editorial team was on the front lines for this historic moment, capturing precious images of the event itself and reporting details from behind the scenes. 

These included zoo personnel arranging for Lin Wang and Ma Lan, their prize five-ton elephants, to miss several meals, then using food as an inducement to get them onto the trucks; as well as laboriously reconnoitering several routes to the new zoo offering enough clearance for the very tall giraffes. Our coverage of still other behind-the-scenes details heightened interest in this exciting moment.

Had you forgotten those simple, happy times? Join us as we turn back the clock to 1986 and celebrate a long-forgotten paradise.

With each kind of animal requiring its own special arrangements, the preparations for the zoo’s move were complex.

With each kind of animal requiring its own special arrangements, the preparations for the zoo’s move were complex.

With each kind of animal requiring its own special arrangements, the preparations for the zoo’s move were complex.

With each kind of animal requiring its own special arrangements, the preparations for the zoo’s move were complex.