Khao Kheow Open Zoo

Khao Kheow Open Zoo is a large zoo in Si Racha, Chonburi province, south-east of Bangkok. Covering about 800 hectares, with more than 8,000 animals from over 300 species, it is ranked the second largest zoo in Asia. It was established in 1974 in the foothills of Khao Kheow mountain to relieve crowding at Bangkok's Dusit Zoo, opened to the public in 1978 and was later expanded by the Zoological Park Organization. The zoo is known for letting visitors see animals up close by renting a golf cart, driving a car or walking. Themed zones include an African Savannah with zebras, giraffes and white rhinoceroses, and one of its best-known residents is the baby pygmy hippopotamus Moo Deng.