[2025 Suzhou Attraction] Travel Guide for Shangfangshan Forest Zoo (Updated May)

Suzhou Shangfangshan Forest Animal World, formerly known as Suzhou Zoo, was founded on May 1, 1954 and is located at the east end of Baita East Road in the ancient city. On April 11, 2016, Suzhou Zoo closed and moved to the south foot of Wuyue Road on the west bank of Shihu Lake. It was completed and officially opened to the public on October 1, 2016. The planned area is about 67 hectares, with a total construction area of 24,372.5 square meters and a land area of 24,042.5 square meters. The new park is surrounded by mountains on three sides and faces Shihu Lake to the east. It has a superior natural ecological environment and is an ideal habitat for wildlife ex situ protection. It is a zoo in Suzhou that integrates wildlife protection and breeding, animal scientific research, popular science education, ecological tours and leisure and entertainment. With animal and plant habitats as the main focus, ecological cultivation is carried out according to local conditions, and corresponding types of ecological blocks are established for animals with different habits, forming eight animal exhibition areas that simulate the distribution of natural animal habitats - herbivorous area 1, herbivorous area 2, primate area, beast area, bird and bird area 1, bird and bird area 2, amphibian and reptile area, and South China tiger base. The park has more than 100 species of animals, including giant soft-shell turtles, Asian elephants, South China tigers, golden monkeys, Siberian tigers, white tigers, black bears, African lions, giraffes, hornbills, etc., with a total number of more than 1,000. The first herbivorous area is located in the middle of the Shangfangshan Forest Animal World. It is currently composed of 9 groups of cages, including the elephant hall, giraffe hall, zebra hall, and elk exhibition area. The cage area is about 2,200 square meters. It raises and exhibits 9 animals, including Asian elephants, giraffes, elks, zebras, and kangaroos. Representative animals in this area: Asian elephants. The second herbivorous area is located in the west of the Shangfangshan Forest Animal World. It is currently composed of 4 groups of cages, including the sika deer exhibition area, the fallow deer exhibition area, and the argali hall. The cage area is about 270 square meters. It raises and exhibits 4 animals, including sika deer, fallow deer, and argali. Representative animals in this area: fallow deer. The primate area is located in the southwest of the Shangfangshan Forest Animal World. It is currently composed of 12 groups of cages, including the Monkey Island, with a cage area of about 700 square meters. It breeds and exhibits 15 species of animals, including golden monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, squirrel monkeys, and ring-tailed lemurs. Representative animals in this area: golden monkeys. The beast area is located in the north of the Shangfangshan Forest Animal World. It is currently composed of 11 groups of cages, including the South China tiger exhibition area, the Siberian tiger exhibition area, and the white tiger exhibition area. The cage area is about 4,700 square meters. It breeds and exhibits 11 species of animals, including the South China tiger, the Siberian tiger, the white tiger, the African lion, and the black panther. Representative animals in this area: South China tigers. The bird area is located in the southeast of the Shangfangshan Forest Animal World. It is currently composed of a large wading bird area, a pheasant exhibition area, and a parrot pavilion. The cage area is about 700 square meters. It breeds and exhibits more than 50 species of animals, including oriental white storks, red-crowned cranes, hooded cranes, flamingos, and macaws. Representative animals in this area: flamingos. The second bird and animal area is located in the northeast corner of the Shangfangshan Forest Animal World. It is currently composed of four groups of cages, including the vulture exhibition area, the hornbill hall, and the toucan hall. The cage area is about 644 square meters, and five species of animals, including hornbills, vultures, and toucans, are kept and exhibited. Representative animals in this area: hornbills. The amphibian and reptile area is located in the central area of the Shangfangshan Forest Animal World. It is currently composed of the Yangtze giant softshell turtle pool and the Yangtze alligator exhibition area, covering an area of about 481 square meters. Animals such as Yangtze giant softshell turtles, Yangtze alligators, Burmese pythons, red-tailed boas, Pan's box turtles, and radiated tortoises are kept and exhibited. Representative animals in this area: Yangtze giant softshell turtles. The South China tiger is one of the world's top ten endangered species. Suzhou Zoo is listed as the "China South China Tiger Suzhou Breeding Base". It is one of the earliest professional institutions in China that specializes in the protection and research of South China tiger bases, and undertakes the important tasks of South China tiger breeding research and popular science education. In order to create a better living environment for the South China tiger, combined with the construction of the lakeside area of Shihu Scenic Area, the municipal government launched the relocation project of Suzhou South China Tiger Breeding Base in 2010, and relocated the base to Shangfangshan Shanwu in Shihu Scenic Area, Suzhou. The new base was completed and put into use in June 2013, with a total area of 70 mu and a cage area of about 3,100 square meters. There is an outdoor activity space in front of each cage, and the activity space is enriched and arranged to imitate the characteristics of its wild habitat environment, achieving the unity of ornamental and practicality. Shangfangshan Forest Animal World not only brings visual enjoyment to tourists, but also pays attention to the experience and provides tourists with complete supporting services. The Habitat Hall has a construction area of about 2,500 square meters. It is a habitat exhibition hall rich in ecological, environmental protection and popular science education, suitable for parent-child travel. The main exhibition area of the museum is divided into multiple natural ecological areas such as tropical rainforest, swamp wetland, seaside world, grassland world, vast desert, high mountain plateau, colorful ocean and the Arctic and Antarctic. It uses modern sound, light and electricity means such as simulated environment, video projection, 360 phantom imaging, immersive theater, etc., making people feel as if they are in a colorful plant kingdom and animal paradise. In addition, the children's interactive area in the habitat hall has many different interactive games, allowing children to experience the mysteries of science in the process of hands-on operation, and open up children's curiosity and exploration of science and technology. The cute pet park provides children with the opportunity to get close to small animals, including gentle and cute goats, alpacas, sika deer, ponies, cattle, peacocks, rabbits, Call ducks, marmots, fragrant pigs, porcupines, etc. The sightseeing cruise allows tourists to leisurely travel on the clear river, watch the living space of various precious waterfowl up close, and watch the colorful forest animal world on the water, bringing tourists a unique viewing experience. There are a variety of entertainment facilities in the amusement park, including pirate ships, carousels, flying trapeze, etc., creating a children's amusement kingdom, allowing children to enjoy their innocence and childlike fun while watching animals. In addition, the park also has commercial supporting facilities such as lakeside restaurants and comprehensive shopping stores, which provide fast food, various hot and cold drinks, tourist souvenirs, snacks, etc. Sightseeing buses are available, and there are 24-hour sightseeing tours along the main roads.The electric sightseeing bus route is 3 kilometers long and has 9 stops. Visitors can take it unlimited times on the day and get on and off freely at any stop in the park, allowing visitors to easily travel the entire animal world and enjoy the animals in the park at their own pace. A large underground parking lot is built with about 900 parking spaces and an area of about 24,000 square meters. Shangfangshan Forest Animal World fully embodies the concept of "people-oriented, coexisting with nature", strengthens the natural beauty, highlights the cultural connotation, and strives to create an ecological park system that integrates viewing, entertainment, and education.