Zoo Facts

The first bomb dropped on Berlin in WWII killed an elephant in the Berlin Zoo - but it wasn't the only one. The zoo had nine elephants when the war began.

Sandy, an African Penguin, was in 'love' with her keeper Peter Vollbracht at Münster Zoo in Germany from 1997 until her death in 2021.

China owns all giant pandas worldwide. Zoos that want pandas must sign 10-year loan agreements, typically paying around $1 million per year for a breeding pair—and any cubs born abroad also belong to China.

A zoo in China gave a gay penguin couple the opportunity to raise a chick.

Male orangutans can be attracted to women with red hair. One male, Hsing Hisng, has even ripped pictures of Nicole Kidman out of magazines and placed them in his enclosure.

Lin Wang was a young elephant in Burma. Japanese soldiers forced him to haul supplies and pull artillery through the jungle during World War II. Chinese troops captured him in 1943. He marched home along the Burma Road, then sailed to Taiwan in 1947. He spent nearly 49 years at Taipei Zoo as Taiwan's most beloved animal. Lin Wang died in 2003 at 86, the longest living elephant ever recorded in captivity.