Formosan Animal Area

Located near the zoo entrance, the area features animals indigenous to Taiwan such as clouded leopards, Eurasian otters, Formosan black bears, Formosan rock macaques, Formosan sika deer, leopard cats, Taiwan serows, Taiwanese pangolins and wild boars.^[6]

Children's Zoo

Young guests can interact with domestic animals like alpacas, chickens, donkeys and pigs. The Children's Zoo also has habitats for some wild animals like meerkats, raccoons and South American coati.^[7]

Insectarium

The statue of a stag beetle stands at the entrance of the zoo's insectarium, which contains lots of species of insects and arachnids. Behind the Insectarium is a butterfly garden with more than 125 species of butterfly.

Tropical Rainforest Area

Animals from the rainforests of Southeast Asia are featured here, including Asian elephants, Asian small-clawed otters, Bengal tigers, Bornean orangutans, great hornbills, leopards, Malayan tapirs and siamangs, alongside a few animals from South America like black-capped squirrel monkeys, capybaras and giant anteaters.^[8]

Giant Panda House

In 2008, the zoo received two pandas from the People's Republic of China (PRC), named Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan (meaning "reunion"), as a gesture of unity. The gift of the endangered pandas had been rejected by President Chen Shui-bian in 2005 who viewed it as a propaganda tool against Taiwan's independence, but the next president, Ma Ying-jeou, of the Kuomintang, had forged stronger economic and diplomatic relations with the PRC under his presidency, and was willing to accept them.^[11] The offering of pandas as a gift from the PRC is often known as "panda diplomacy", and the zoo expected to draw around 30,000 visitors a day as a result of their arrival. The move was criticized by supporters of Taiwan's independence and the opposition Democratic Progressive Party, who said that "Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan means a union, which perfectly matches Beijing's goal of bringing Taiwan into its fold."^[11][12]

The offspring of Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, Yuan Zai, was born on July 6, 2013. She is the first panda cub to be born in Taiwan.^[13] Yuan Zai's public debut was on January 6, 2014.

Desert Animal Area

This sub-section of the zoo contains addaxes, African wild asses and Bactrian camels.^[14]

Australian Animal Area

A pair of koalas arrived from the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary in 1999 and koalas have been prominently kept on display ever since. Additionally, eastern grey kangaroos, emus and southern cassowaries are also displayed here.

African Animal Zone

The exhibit simulates the East African savanna and covers 6 hectares of land for several large animals. These include African bush elephants, Chapman's zebras, common elands, giraffes, bongos, hippos, lions, spotted hyenas, olive baboons, lemurs, pygmy hippos, western lowland gorillas and white rhinos.

Bird World

More than 130 species of bird are on display, including black-faced spoonbills, cockatoos, eagles, flamingos, parrots, pelicans, pheasants, pigeons, red-crowned cranes, scarlet ibises and other waterfowl.

Amphibian and Reptile House

The Amphibian and Reptile House has a wavy ceiling, meant to resemble the movement of snakes. Over 90 species of reptiles and amphibians are housed in here, including Aldabra giant tortoises, ball pythons, eastern blue-tongued skinks, green tree pythons, Indian star tortoises, Taipei tree frogs and many more.^[15]

Temperate Zone Animal Area

Multiple temperate species are on display here, these include American bisons, brown bears, gray wolves, Przewalski's horses, pumas, red pandas and tomistoma. The zoo's penguin house is also located nearby, including two species of penguins, the African penguin and king penguin.