The Yongor Zoo, Ningbo Style | 宁波雅戈尔动物园

Randy16th May 2017

Written & Photos by (作者, 图片来源): Timothy Ulrich
Lead Photo (封面图片): Ningbo.gov.cn

One major part of Ningbo that makes the city stand out is the canals and rivers that crisscross it’s landscape. The waterways shaped Ningbo from early on, acting as the veins of the city. These vast quantities of waterways are why Ningbo is known as the city of rivers and canals. Ningbo’s Younger Zoo stands out from zoos around the world by carrying on this waterway tradition.

Unlike most zoos where the main option is to walk, the Younger Zoo allows visitors to rent boats to go from place to place. Visitors may still have to walk some in order to see all of the animals, as the canal doesn’t cover the entire zoo, but a vast majority of the animals can be enjoyed up-close, and from the comfort of a boat. This can matter in a zoo that’s 1900 acres large.

That means visitors can drive up to the shore, where every animal from the curious and playful squirrel monkeys to the mighty and majestic rhinoceros can be seen as you and your family sit and watch from the confines of a private boat. Particularly over the summer where there are swaths of people, renting a boat will save your family some energy that could be taken away from the heat or the crowds.

The Younger Zoo is situated near Dongqian Lake, placing it in a harmonious location nestled between mountains and rivers. The zoo received the national AAAA level tourism site designation, making it one of the few zoos in China that can boast this. There are over 10,000 animals in the zoo, made up of over 200 different species in total—180 are rare animals from around the world.

The park is open from 8:30 AM-4:30 PM. This gives plenty of time to see all of the animals. Be sure to pick a sunny day, as more animals will be outside during good weather. The tickets are rather steep (130 RMB for one adult; 70 RMB for children between 1.2 meters and 1.5 meters, visitors aged 70 or older, and active servicemen; or free for children under 1.2 meters), but the ticket goes toward maintaining this massive zoo and all of the facilities. If you enjoy the zoo and want to return often, there is a yearly card that costs 400 RMB/person which means that after 4 visits, the card will have paid for itself. A four-person boat is 140 RMB/hour, but also well worth the venture, especially if it’s your first time.

Buses 902, 106, 621, 165, 158, and 963 all go to the zoo. Buses 902 and 963 go to the south gate, while the rest go to the north gate. By car, take the Dongqian lake (东钱湖) exit off of the Ningbo Ring Expressway to Yinxian Avenue (鄞县大道), and then either stay on Yinxian Avenue for the south entrance or turn off onto Huan Hubei Lu (环湖北路) for the north entrance.

纵横交错的江河是宁波的一大特色。纵观宁波城市千年发展史，可以说水系作为血脉，塑造了宁波的城市形态。河海名城的美誉也正是得之于此。宁波雅戈尔动物园充分利用了区内水域较大、水系纵横的地理优势，打造出一条水上观赏动物游线，从世界各地的众多动物园中脱颖而出。

与大多数步行参观的动物园不同，雅戈尔动物园允许游客租船游园。如果想要遍览所有动物，游客还是得步行少许，因为水系并未覆盖整个动物园的每一个角落。但是对于近距离观赏绝大多数动物而言，悠闲地坐在船上就已经足够。在一个占地1900多亩的动物园里，这一点十分重要。

当船靠近岸边后，游客就可以坐在上面观赏形形色色的动物，从顽皮的松鼠猴到雄壮威武的犀牛，不一而足。特别是在游人如织的夏季，租船可以让你和你的家人避免因高温或拥挤而造成体力的额外流失。

雅戈尔动物园位于东钱湖旅游度假区内，坐落在山水之间。它被评为国家4A级旅游景区，是中国为数不多获此殊荣的动物园之一。动物园集中了200多个品种的上万头动物，其中180头是从全球各地引进的珍禽异兽。

园区从上午8点半开放至下午4点半，观赏时间充足。你最好挑一个晴天前往，因为天气好的时候会有更多动物出来活动。动物园的票价高得离谱（成人130元/张；身高1.2米至1.5米的儿童、70周岁以上的老人和现役军人70元/张；身高1.2米以下的儿童免费），但是收入主要用于园区营运和设施维护。如果你喜欢这里，想要经常来逛逛，可以办理一张400元/人的游园年卡，用相当于4次游园门票的钱实现全年无限畅游。四人座的游船租赁费为140元/小时，但是这钱还是花得物有所值的，特别是在你初次到访的时候。