{{Infobox zoo |zoo_name = Pata Zoo |logo = |logo_caption = |image = Pata Department Store Facade 2023.jpg |image_caption = Pata Zoo (Bangkok), as seen in 2023. |location =[[Bang Phlat]], [[Bangkok]], [[Thailand]] |date_opened =1983 |date_closed = |coordinates = {{Coord|13.771305|100.484025|format=dms|type:landmark|display=it}} |area = |num_species = |num_animals = |largest_tank_vol = |total_tank_vol = |annual_visitors = |members = |exhibits = |website = }} '''Pata Zoo''' ({{langx|th|สวนสัตว์พาต้า}}) is a [[private zoo]] on the 6th and 7th floors of Pata Pinklao Department Store, [[Bang Yi Khan]] Subdistrict, [[Bang Phlat District]], [[Bangkok]] between [[Borommaratchachonnani Intersection|Borommaratchachonnani]] and Arun Amarin Intersections close to [[Phra Pinklao Bridge]]. Pata Zoo has operated since 1983, along with the department store.<ref name=sun/> Pata Zoo has been the subject of ongoing attention from Thai animal welfare organizations, who have raised concerns about the conditions of certain enclosures, particularly those housing primates such as the [[gorilla]] Bua Noi. <ref name="BK-20150427"/>
==Layout== The zoo is divided into two parts, upper and lower floor:<ref name=sun>{{cite web|url=http://www.holidaythai.com/thailand-attractions-2889.htm|title=สวนสัตว์พาต้า|work=HolidayThai|language=th|access-date=2019-01-07|archive-date=2013-08-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130824212350/http://www.holidaythai.com/Thailand-Attractions-2889.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[File:Bua Noi 10.jpg|thumb|Bua Noi, the zoo's only [[gorilla]], photographed in 2015.]] *Sixth floor – [[Nocturnal animal]]s, [[fish]], [[reptile]]s. Of interest are the many [[albino]] [[Burmese python]]s which the zoo is able to breed successfully. Large [[taxidermy|stuffed]] [[giant freshwater stingray]] is also displayed; it is the largest species of freshwater stingray in the world and an endangered species. On weekends there are [[Magic (illusion)|magic show]]s and information and education sessions about [[exotic pet]]s. *Seventh floor – Birds, [[orangutan]]s, [[macaque]]s, [[gibbon]]s, [[binturong]]s, [[guinea pig]]s, [[domestic rabbit|rabbit]]s, [[American Pygmy|pygmy goat]]s, [[sheep]], [[Asiatic black bear]]s, [[lemur]]s, and an artificial waterfall and botanical garden. One notable animal featured here is a female [[western lowland gorilla]] over 30 years old named Bua Noi (บัวน้อย, 'little lotus'), the only [[gorilla]] left in Thailand.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Thaitrakulpanich |first1=Asaree |title=THAILAND'S LAST GORILLA LIVES IN DECREPIT ZOO ATOP A MALL |url=http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/bangkok/2019/07/26/thailands-last-gorilla-lives-in-decrepit-zoo-atop-a-mall/ |access-date=27 July 2019 |work=Khaosod English |date=26 July 2019}}</ref> Most critics of the Pata Zoo have focused on the living conditions of Bua Noi.<ref name="BK-20150427">{{cite news |last1=Nathapong |first1=Sam |title=The director of Bangkok's Pata Zoo discusses the future of gorilla Bua Noi |url=https://bk.asia-city.com/city-living/news/kanit-sermsirimongkol-pata-zoo-bua-noi-gorilla |access-date=2019-01-14 |work=BK |date=2015-04-27}}</ref> She was born in the wild, captured as a baby, and has lived at the zoo since September 1987.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Board |first1=Jack |title=IN FOCUS: Nearly 40 years in Bangkok mall zoo - the fight for a gorilla with ‘loneliness in her eyes' |url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/bua-noi-gorilla-bangkok-department-store-6040241 |access-date=8 April 2026 |work=Channel NewsAsia |date=8 April 2026 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="IBT-20150314">{{cite news |last1=Kaye |first1=Yasmin |title=Gorilla freed from Thai shopping centre zoo after 30 years in captivity |url=https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/gorilla-gains-freedom-high-rise-thai-zoo-after-nearly-three-decades-captivity-1491949 |access-date=2019-01-14 |work=International Business Times |date=2015-03-14}}</ref> The zoo veterinarian and zoo director insist that she is in good mental and physical health.<ref name=w>{{cite news|url=https://www.thairath.co.th/content/487436|date=2015-03-17|title=เผยปริศนา! 10 ข้อที่คุณไม่รู้ สวนสัตว์พาต้าและ กอริลลา บัวน้อย|work=[[Thai Rath]]|language=th}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thairath.co.th/content/452427|title=ดับฝันกอริลลาบัวน้อย พาต้าได้ต่อใบอนุญาต|date=2014-09-24|language=th|work=Thai Rath}}</ref> [[File:Pata Zoo - panoramio (3).jpg|thumb|right|A hornbill at Pata Zoo, photographed in April 2016.]]
==Animal Welfare Concerns== Animal rights activists and campaigners submitted a petition of 35,000 signatures in September 2014 to Thailand's [[Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation]] (DNP) calling for the zoo's closure and the immediate removal of Bua Noi from the zoo.<ref>{{cite news |title=Thailand: Campaign to free gorilla from high-rise zoo |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-29345528 |access-date=2019-01-14 |work=BBC News |date=2014-09-24}}</ref> The DNP responded by declaring it could not withdraw the licence of Pata Zoo as the zoo had not done anything against the law.<ref name=TPBS-20140924>{{cite news |title=Pata zoo's licence cannot be revoked as the zoo has not breached any law |url=http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/pata-zoos-licence-revoked-zoo-breached-law/ |access-date=2019-01-14 |work=Thai PBS |date=2014-09-24}}</ref> The DNP director-general argued that the Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act<ref>{{cite web |title=CRUELTY PREVENTION AND WELFARE OF ANIMAL ACT, B.E. 2557 (2014) |url=http://www.dld.go.th/th/images/stories/law/english/en_cruelty_prevention_act2014.pdf |website=Department of Livestock Development |publisher=Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives |access-date=2019-01-14}}</ref> did not forbid animals from being caged in high-rise buildings and, therefore, Pata Zoo did not violate the law by maintaining a zoo on top of a building.<ref name=TPBS-20140924/> The zoo immediately declared its innocence of any wrongdoing.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tipnumpa |first1=Jutarat |last2=Pon |first2=Janjira |title=Pata Zoo fights efforts to move Bua Noi |url=http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Pata-Zoo-fights-efforts-to-move-Bua-Noi-30244055.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140926192341/http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Pata-Zoo-fights-efforts-to-move-Bua-Noi-30244055.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 26, 2014 |access-date=2019-01-14 |work=The Nation |date=2014-09-25}}</ref>
In March 2015, it was reported that Thai authorities charged that Pata Zoo had broken several laws and ordered the removal of all large animals, including Bua Noi, from the zoo.<ref name="IBT-20150314"/> The zoo declined to transfer the gorilla to another facility.<ref>{{cite news |title=Department store prison: No freedom from Pata Zoo for gorilla 'Little Lotus' |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/department-store-prison-no-freedom-from-pata-zoo-for-gorilla-little-lotus |access-date=2019-01-14 |work=Straits Times |date=2015-03-18}}</ref> {{Asof|February 2020}}, Bua Noi was still in captivity at the zoo.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Saengmanee |first1=Pattarawadee |title=Gorilla in the Mist |url=https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/social-and-lifestyle/1849414/gorilla-in-the-mist |access-date=3 February 2020 |work=Bangkok Post |date=3 February 2020}}</ref><ref name="Dodo-20180419">{{cite news |last1=Alberts |first1=Elizabeth Claire |title=Orangutan Is So Depressed Inside Zoo On Top Of Shopping Mall |url=https://www.thedodo.com/in-the-wild/orangutan-on-floor-pata-zoo-thailand |access-date=2019-01-14 |work=The Dodo |date=2018-04-19}}</ref>
Following a fire at the zoo later that year, actress [[Gillian Anderson]] and animal rights group [[People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals|PETA]] sent a letter to the zoo's owner expressing concern about the animals' welfare and urging him to consider closing the facility.<ref>
Siobhan Robbins, "[https://news.sky.com/story/cher-calls-for-thailands-pata-zoo-to-rehome-gorilla-bua-noi-after-30-years-living-above-shopping-centre-12156774 Cher calls for Thailand's Pata Zoo to rehome gorilla Bua Noi after 30 years living above shopping centre]," SkyNews 10 December 2020.</ref> At the end of 2020, singer and actress [[Cher]] wrote a letter to Thailand’s environment minister, asking the minister to support her efforts to relocate the gorilla. <ref>Jennifer Hassan,"[https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/12/10/cher-last-gorilla-thailand/ Cher saved the world’s loneliest elephant. Can she free Thailand’s last gorilla?]" <em>The Washington Post</em> 10 December 2020.</ref>
==Zoo's Public Response and Welfare Measures==
In March 2023, activists sprayed messages on the department store building calling for Bua Noi to be freed. In response, the zoo announced a bounty of 100,000 [[Thai baht|baht]] for information leading to the arrest of the offenders, citing intrusion. The zoo stated it was ready to issue a transparent statement clarifying what it described as the full truth after facing prolonged criticism.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mgronline.com/onlinesection/detail/9660000022872|work=ASTV Manager|language=thai|accessdate=2025-08-30|date=2023-03-11|title="พาต้า" ไม่ทน! ล่าตัวคนพ่นสีใส่ผนัง ร้องปล่อยตัวลิงกอริลลา "บัวน้อย" โดยตั้งรางวัลนำจับ 1 แสน}}</ref>
Since January 2025, the zoo has introduced a new policy allowing visitors to see Bua Noi in limited groups of no more than 30 people at a time, in order to reduce stress for the aging gorilla. Before each viewing, visitors are shown a video presentation explaining what the zoo presents as the background of Bua Noi: she was born in a German zoo and has been living here since 1987 under the care of the same keeper to this day. The zoo emphasizes that she has always been cared for with dedication and affection.<ref name=b/>
==Operating Days and Hours== Since April 20, 2026, the zoo has adjusted its operating days and hours. It has changed from being open every day except Mondays, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., to being open only on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1K1MBWbeco/|work=Facebook|accessdate=2026-04-24|date=2026-04-19|language=thai|title=ประกาศ !|author=Pata Zoo}}</ref>
==Selected animal species== ;Mammals: {{div col|colwidth=15em}} *[[Tammar wallaby]] *[[Dusky pademelon]] *[[Common treeshrew|Common tree shrew]] *[[Common brown lemur|Brown lemur]] *[[Ruffed lemur]] *[[Black and white ruffed lemur]] *[[Bengal slow loris|Northern slow loris]] *[[Pygmy slow loris]] *[[Common marmoset]] *[[Weeper capuchin]] *[[Common squirrel monkey]] *[[Tufted capuchin]] *[[Allen's swamp monkey]] *[[Red-tailed monkey|Red-tailed guenon]] *[[De brazza's monkey]] *[[Green monkey]] *[[Chlorocebus]] *[[Stump-tailed macaque]] *[[Crab-eating macaque]] *[[Rhesus macaque]] *[[Pig-tailed macaque]] *[[Mandrill]] *[[Gabon talapoin]] *[[Silvery lutung|Silvered leaf monkey]] *[[Tenasserim lutung|Tenasserim langur]] *[[Dusky leaf monkey]] *[[Phayre's leaf monkey]] *[[Lar gibbon]] *[[Pileated gibbon]] *[[Northern white-cheeked gibbon|White-cheeked gibbon]] *[[Western lowland gorilla]] *[[Chimpanzee]] *[[Bornean orangutan]] *[[Cream-coloured giant squirrel|Pale giant squirrel]] *[[Black giant squirrel]] *[[Black-tailed prairie dog]] *[[Red giant flying squirrel]] *[[Pallas's squirrel|Belly-banded squirrel]] *[[Finlayson's squirrel|Variable squirrel]] *[[Prevost's squirrel]] *[[Berdmore's ground squirrel|Indochinese ground squirrel]] *[[Capybara]] *[[Asiatic brush-tailed porcupine]] *[[Malayan porcupine]] *[[Crested porcupine]] *[[Four-toed hedgehog]] *[[Large flying fox]] *[[Asiatic golden cat]] *[[Leopard cat]] *[[Clouded leopard]] *[[Indochinese leopard]] *[[Tiger]] *[[Binturong]] *[[Small-toothed palm civet|Three-striped palm civet]] *[[Masked palm civet]] *[[Asian palm civet|Common palm civet]] *[[Banded linsang]] *[[Large Indian civet]] *[[Javan mongoose]] *[[Meerkat]] *[[Golden jackal]] *[[Sun bear]] *[[Asiatic black bear|Tibetan black bear]] *[[Hog badger]] *[[Chinese ferret-badger]] *[[Lesser mouse-deer]] *[[Northern red muntjac]] {{div col end}} ;Birds {{div col|colwidth=15em}} *[[Crested partridge|Crested wood partridge]] *[[Chinese francolin]] *[[Greater flamingo]] *[[Spotted dove]] *[[Red collared dove|Red turtle dove]] *[[Common emerald dove|Grey-capped emerald dove]] *[[Zebra dove]] *[[Western crowned pigeon|Blue-crowned pigeon]] *[[Thick-billed green pigeon]] *[[Coral-billed ground cuckoo|Renauld's ground dove]] *[[Greater coucal]] *[[Koel]] *[[Common gallinule]] *[[Black crowned crane]] *[[Humboldt penguin]] *[[Red-wattled lapwing]] *[[Sunda scops owl]] *[[Austen's brown hornbill|Northern brown hornbill]] *[[Bushy-crested hornbill]] *[[Tickell's brown hornbill|Southern brown hornbill]] *[[Oriental pied hornbill|Northern pied hornbill]] *[[White-crowned hornbill]] *[[Great hornbill|Great indian hornbill]] *[[Rhinoceros hornbill]] *[[Wreathed hornbill]] *[[Red-billed hornbill]] *[[Common hoopoe]] *[[Coppersmith barbet]] *[[Lineated barbet]] *[[Red-throated barbet]] *[[Great barbet]] *[[Collared falconet]] *[[Cockatiel]] *[[White cockatoo]] *[[Sulphur-crested cockatoo]] *[[Tanimbar corella|Goffin's cockatoo]] *[[Grey parrot]] *[[Yellow-naped amazon]] *[[Red-crowned amazon|Green-cheeked amazon]] *[[Hyacinth macaw]] *[[Blue-and-yellow macaw]] *[[Scarlet macaw]] *[[Military macaw]] *[[Sun parakeet]] *[[Burrowing parrot]] *[[Red-shouldered macaw]] *[[Chattering lory|Yellow-backed lorikeet]] *[[Black-capped lory]] *[[Vernal hanging parrot]] *[[Eclectus parrot]] *[[Red-breasted parakeet|Moustached parakeet]] *[[Grey-headed parakeet]] *[[Blossom-headed parakeet]] *[[Red-winged parrot]] *[[Mangrove pitta]] *[[Fairy-bluebird]] *[[Golden-fronted leafbird]] *[[Blue-winged leafbird]] *[[Red avadavat]] *[[Pin-tailed parrotfinch]] *[[Chestnut munia]] *[[Java finch]] *[[Amazonian umbrellabird]] *[[Racket-tailed drongo]] *[[Green magpie]] *[[Jungle crow]] *[[Red-billed blue magpie]] *[[Red-whiskered bulbul]] *[[Everett's white-eye]] *[[White-crested laughingthrush]] *[[White-vented myna]] *[[Common myna]] *[[Pied starling]] *[[Chestnut-tailed starling]] *[[White-shouldered starling]] *[[Golden-crested myna]] *[[Philippine glossy starling]] *[[Common hill myna]] *[[Oriental magpie robin]] {{div col end}} ;Reptiles {{div col|colwidth=15em}} *[[Alligator snapping turtle]] *[[Red-eared slider]] *[[African spurred tortoise]] *[[Indian star tortoise]] *[[Elongated tortoise]] *[[Asian forest tortoise|Burmese black tortoise]] *[[Leopard tortoise]] *[[Amboina box turtle|Southeast Asian box tortoise]] *[[Asian leaf turtle]] *[[Yellow-headed temple turtle]] *[[Giant Asian pond turtle]] *[[Malaysian giant turtle]] *[[Black marsh turtle]] *[[Big-headed turtle]] *[[pig-nosed turtle|Fly river turtle]] *[[Eastern long-necked turtle]] *[[Mata mata]] *[[Acanthosaura armata]] *[[Hydrosaurus amboinensis]] {{div col end}}
In August of the same year, the zoo announced a temporary suspension of Bua Noi's public viewing sessions to allow her more time to rest.<ref name=b>{{cite web|url=https://mgronline.com/travel/detail/9680000081810|title=“สวนสัตว์พาต้า” ขอปิดบ้านกอริลลา “ป้าบัวน้อย” ชั่วคราว เพื่อให้ได้พักผ่อน|language=thai|date=2025-08-27|accessdate=2025-08-30|work=ASTV Manager}}</ref>
==Gallery== <gallery mode="traditional"> File:Pata Zoo Signboard and Building in 2023.jpg|The iconic Pata Zoo signboard and the rooftop zoo's main building. File:Bua Noi at Pata Zoo 2023.jpg|Bua Noi, a female [[western lowland gorilla]], in her enclosure. File:Goats at Pata Zoo 2023.jpg|Goats in the petting zoo area. File:Guinea pigs at Pata Zoo in 2023.jpg|Guinea pigs in their enclosure. File:Birds exhibit at Pata Zoo 2023.jpg|The birds exhibit at Pata Zoo, featuring macaws and an artificial waterfall. File:Orangutan on bench - panoramio.jpg|[[Bornean orangutan]] on bench in jungle-themed indoor exhibit with waterfall and parrots. File:Pata Zoo - panoramio.jpg|Courtyard with fountain, bird cage File:Long-tailed macaque at Pata Zoo in 2023.jpg|A long-tailed macaque (''Macaca fascicularis'') at Pata Zoo. File:Orangutan at Pata Zoo 2023.jpg|A [[Bornean orangutan]] in the indoor exhibit at Pata Zoo. File:Albino Burmese python at Pata Zoo 2023.jpg|An albino Burmese python resting in an enclosure. File:White Albino Burmese python at Pata Zoo 2023.jpg|A white-colored albino Burmese python, a rare morph. File:Giant Freshwater Stingray Pata Zoo 2023.jpg|A taxidermied giant freshwater stingray on display. File:Pata Exotic Studio Sign 2023.jpg|A sign for the "PATA Exotic Studio" educational section. File:Pata Zoo - panoramio (2).jpg|Naturalistic outdoor enclosure with rocks, trees, and viewing paths. File:Pata Zoo - panoramio (1).jpg|Shaded zoo walkway with mesh enclosures, trees, and monkeys nearby. </gallery>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://www.facebook.com/%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%A7%E0%B9%8C%E0%B8%9E%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%95%E0%B9%89%E0%B8%B2-1550060755234700/ Facebook page] *[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YhABZDDpKk Pata Zoo in Bangkok, Thailand (video)] {{Zoos of Thailand}} {{Tourist attractions in Bangkok}}
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[[Category:Zoos in Thailand]] [[Category:Bang Phlat district]] [[Category:Zoos established in 1983]] [[Category:1983 establishments in Thailand]]