North Korea's national zoo: Donkeys, dinosaurs and dogs

North Koreans wait at the gate of the newly opened Pyongyang Central Zoo in Pyongyang, North Korea, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016. — Image caption,
Thousands of visitors have flocked to the attraction on the outskirts of Pyongyang, according to the AP news agency.

North Koreans look at bears at the newly opened Pyongyang Central Zoo in Pyongyang, North Korea, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016. — Image caption,
The Central Zoo was first built in 1959, reportedly by order of Kim Il-sung, the grandfather of present leader Kim Jong-un.

Visitors feed dogs at the newly opened Central Zoo in Pyongyang, North Korea, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016.

AP

Some may find surprising that one of the zoo's main draws is its Dog Pavilion, which is home to dozens of varieties of dogs, including Schnauzers, German Shepherds, Shih tzus and Saint Bernards.

Dogs look out from inside a pen at the newly opened Pyongyang Central Zoo in Pyongyang, North Korea, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016.

AP

Kim Jong-un reportedly provided the zoo with its Schnauzers, Poodles, German Shepherds and a Chihuahua, according to a plaque above the dog pavilion.

North Koreans feed an elephant at the newly opened Pyongyang Central Zoo in Pyongyang, North Korea, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016.

AP

Signs above the animal habitats state where each "gift animal" came from. Its first was an elephant donated by Ho Chi Minh, the revolutionary leader of Vietnam.

A North Korean and her son pose for a photo on the back of a camel at the newly opened Central Zoo in Pyongyang, North Korea, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016.

AP

Renovation work at the zoo began in 2014, as part of efforts to modernise the capital. It reopened this July.

A North Korean woman walks past by a donkey pen at the newly opened Pyongyang Central Zoo in Pyongyang, North Korea, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016.

AP

More than 40 animal pens have been built for reptiles, monkeys and other wild animals across the zoo to match the surrounding scenery, according to North Korean state news agency KCNA.

A North Korean man kisses a turtle through the glass of its tank at the newly opened Pyongyang Central Zoo in Pyongyang, North Korea, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016.

AP

In the Lonely Planet guide for North Korea, the Central Zoo had been criticised for keeping animals in "woefully inadequate compounds".

North Koreans look at models of dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum, part of the newly opened Pyongyang Central Zoo in Pyongyang, North Korea, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016.

AP

The zoo also houses a Natural History Museum, with displays showing the origins of the solar system and the evolution of life on Earth.

More on this story