History
The zoo was established in 1864 by a Dutch East Indies flora and fauna lovers organization, the Vereneging Plantenen Dierentuin of Batavia. Raden Saleh, a prominent Indonesian painter in the 19th century, donated about 10 hectares (25 acres) of his land for the establishment of Batavia first zoo in the Cikini area of Central Jakarta. The zoo moved to its present location in 1966, and was officially opened on 22 June 1966, managed by the city administration. The former location was turned into the Taman Ismail Marzuki performing art center and Jakarta Art Institute.
On 19 September 2005, following the order of the city's governor, the zoo was closed temporarily for about three weeks after various birds were found to have contracted avian influenza. It reopened on October 11.
Read more about this topic: Ragunan Zoo
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