Hlawga National Park
Hlawga Park is an open zoo in Myanmar's Yangon Region, covering 6.23 km2 (2.41 sq mi) that was established in 1982.It was created to protect evergreen, mixed deciduouss and swamp forest and for environmental education. Located in Mingaladon Township, it is jointly managed by the Nature and Wildlife Conservation Division and private enterprises. The nature park is close to Yangon and includes an 818-acre (313 hectare) wildlife park, a 62-acre (25-hectare) mini-zoo and a 660-acre (267-hectare) buffer zone. The park embraces the catchment area of the Zokanabe Lake, an extension dam built in 1921–24 to reinforce the greater Hlawga Lake which has supplied water to Yangon since 1904. The park was established in 1982 with joint-funding by the UNDP and the Burmese government in order to protect the forests and vegetative cover in the catchment of Hlawga Lake, and to establish a representative collection of Burmese indigenous wildlife species of mammals, reptiles and birds, in their natural habitats. Visitors can go on a safari-style bus ride or an elephant ride through the park, hiking on jungle trails, boating on the lake, and/or bird watching.However, most local visitors use the park's picnic areas. The park is divided into three zones: a rest and retreat zone, an adventure and recreation zone, and an education and hobby zone. The rest and retreat zone features forest eco-lodges, boat houses and a health spa resort. The adventure and recreation zone has facilities for jungle trekking, bird watching and wild life safaris, as well as a camping ground and training areas for mountain climbing and parachuting. The education and hobby zone includes a timber species display center, a butterfly park, an insect kingdom, a reptile park and fishing spots.