TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei Zoo has compiled an English guidebook as the city promotes bilingual learning while also making a case for animal conservation.

A result of a collaboration between the zoo and the National Development Council (NDC), the driver of the government’s bilingual initiative, the handbook has information on 25 selected animals housed in seven areas of the menagerie in southern Taipei.

Included are animals from the zoo's Children’s Zoo, Giant Panda, Formosan Area, Tropical Rainforest, African Area, Bird World, and Temperate Zone areas. The brochure contains introductions to the species and the threats they face, which the zoo hopes will help nurture care for wildlife among visitors.

As a public facility spearheading animal conservation in Taiwan, Taipei Zoo has the responsibility to educate the public about wildlife, said Chen Yi-tsun (諶亦聰), director of the zoo. The booklet serves that purpose and helps hone readers’ English abilities, she added.

The animal park has made an effort to create an English-friendly environment by putting in place signage with both Chinese and English information and holding English summer camps. Earlier this year, it worked with Disney World of English, an English learning service provider, to conduct tours where youngsters were taught how to introduce Taiwan-endemic animals using English, according to the Taipei Zoo.

The handbook can be found on the website of the zoo.