Dusit zoo to move

Zoo chiefs confirm Pathum Thani move

Paddle boats ply the lake inside Dusit Zoo. (File photo)
Paddle boats ply the lake inside Dusit Zoo. (File photo)

The Zoological Park Organisation (ZPO) board confirmed on Tuesday that Dusit Zoo will be relocated out of the city to a new site in Pathum Thani.

The announcement ends speculation over the future of the zoo which first opened 79 years ago. However, ZPO director, Benjapol Nakprasert, did not say when the zoo and its animals will be moved to their new home.

The board, he said, has only decided that there should be two working groups to oversee its relocation.

The first working group will oversee animal relocation.The other will oversee the construction of the zoo which is to be located on a 300 rai land plot in Pathum Thani.

The plot was donated last month by His Majesty the King.

It is still unclear what will happen to the present site after the move.

At present, the board is surveying the new location in preparation for the design and construction.

Mr Benjapol dismissed concerns over relocating more than 1,000 animals, saying zoo staff were experienced and capable of doing the job.

The board will hold another meeting in January next year to discuss the relocation plans further.

A source said it might be another three years before moving the animals could begin.

Construction of the zoo will require a budget of around one billion baht.

Dusit Zoo is the country's oldest public zoo with around 2 million visitors each year, generating an income of 120 million baht per annum.

Situated on 100 rai of land, Dusit Zoo is located close to some of the city's most famous landmarks including the parliament building.

Its new location in Pathum Thani will provide more space and a more open environment.


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Vocabulary

  • concern: a worry - ความกังวล
  • dismissed: considered something to be unimportant or not good enough to be taken seriously - แย้งกลับ โต้กลับ
  • donate: to give something such as money or goods to an organisation, especially to a temple, charity, school, political party, etc. - บริจาค
  • oversee (verb): (past form: oversaw) to watch or organise a job or an activity to make certain that it is being done correctly - คุมงาน,ควบคุม
  • parliament: the group of people who are elected to make and change the laws of a country; the building where members of parliament meet. - รัฐสภา
  • relocation: the process of moving someone or something to a new place - การย้ายที่ใหม่
  • source: someone who gives information - แหล่งข่าว
  • speculation: ideas or discussion about why something has happened or what might happen - คาดการณ์ ประเมิณสถานการณ์
  • survey: the act of examining and recording the measurements, features, etc. of an area of land - การสำรวจ, การหาข้อมูล
  • unclear (adjective): not clear and easy to understand -
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