Dalian's 'zoo', located in the hilly area South of Olympic Square, West of Xinghai Square, has 2 parts; there is an extensive acquarium nearby too. While packaged togehter, they are very different 'beasts'.
Dalian Zoo #1: Based around a quite picturesque valley, primary mode of transportation is 'foot'. Around 3 hours to complete.
Dalian Zoo #2: Bus-based tour though various enclosures containing wolves, lions, tigers, etc.
Acquarium: Variety of sea life, both finned and footed, around 1.5 hours to complete.
Tickets:
Zoo #1: Y40/adult
Zoo #2: Y40/adult (a ticket for both #1 and #2 zoo costs Y80, with a free, single, ride on the cablecar connecting the two - to return to the original zoo, or riding the cablecar without a double ticket, costs Y30)
Acquarium: Y40/adult (double ticket, for the acquarium and zoo #2 is Y80, triple ticket for all three is Y120, again with the cablecar).
When to go:
The zoo can get very overcrowded in some holidays (outside of holiday time, not at all crowded). If visiting in a holiday, arrive at opening time, 8am, or afternoon (after 2pm) and crowds should be avoided.
How to get there:
Zoo #1: Only bus 715 will take you to the gate. Taxi Y8 from Olympic.
Zoo #2: Buses 5, 702. Taxi Y10 from Olympic.
Acquarium: Buses 2, 4, 30, 402, 404. Taxi Y15 from Olympic.
Zoo #1: Mixed bag, but worth a visit. Some high- and low-lights:
Insects! There weren't any!
There was a panda. A very lethargic panda.
Monkeys (and apes and gibbons)! Probably the happiest animals in the zoo were the smaller monkeys - plenty of space to run around, and quite the Darwinian moment when one of them picked up a stone, used it is dislodge another stone and, bearing 2 sizable stones in its hands, proceeded to chase another monkey! The gibbons seemed reasonably happy as a family unit with plenty of space, though the apes didn't seem to happy, with one clearly repeating the same circling movement and cliched performance behaviour reminiscent of obsessive-compulsive disorder in people, a sign of mental illness in animals too. But, for Pete's sake, don't feed monkeys crisps (healthy fruit/nut animal snacks can be bought inside the zoo)!
Mental disorder sums up the bears. One sitting in the same spot circling its head for the entire time I was in view, a good 5 minutes, the other walking in the same circle at the same time. Sad.
Tigers and dogs. The last thing I expected to see was a (full grown) tiger sleeping next to a dog (seemed part German Shepherd)! The story goes, a tiger at the zoo gave birth to several cubs, but died immediately afterwards. Time was of the essence, and rather than hand-rear the cubs (still feeding on milk), they were placed with a surrogate mother still producing milk from her little, that surrogate mother happened to be a dog. Years went by, but the dog, now several times smaller than 'her' cubs, still gives them a knock around if they're being naughty. Many of the animals in the #2 zoo were bred from the animals in the #1 zoo.
Zoo #2:
Ride around on a bus, going into reinforced enclosures giving their occupants at least a partial-wild life. Their enclosures aren't very big - it's no wildlife park. The entire tour lasts about 40 minutes. If you're lucky you'll see a (live) sheep/goat get tipped of the back of a truck and get torn to pieces by big cats!
Acquarium: Again, highs and lows.
Lots of fish. Walk next to the fish, under the fish, among the fish. Dolphins, porpuses, seals too. A tacky show with divers and dolphins, but the entire visit put in a negative light with 2 polar bears in a tiny enclosure, clearly very depressed. About 1.5 hours viewing time.
Overall: Make of the above outline what you will. Conditions for the bears were bad, infact, conditions for the bears were disgusting.
AffennyFany
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