Avatar:Ba Sing Se Zoo

<infobox theme-source="nation"> <image source="image" /> <title source="name"><default>Ba Sing Se Zoo</default></title> <group> <header>Physical information</header> <label>Location</label> </group> <group> <header>Government</header> <label>Position</label> <label>Capital</label> <label>Form of government</label> <label>Head of state</label> <label>Religious authority</label> <label>Currency</label> <label>Ruler</label> <label>Owner</label> <label>Leader</label> <label>Administrator</label> <label>First appearance</label> <label>Last appearance</label> </group> <group> <header>Location on map</header> </group> <header>Image gallery (0)</header> </infobox> The Ba Sing Se Zoo is located in the Agrarian Zone of Ba Sing Se. Originally built within the city, the attraction was later moved by Avatar Aang.

History

Originally located in the middle of the Lower Ring, the zoo became a dilapidated place over time.

Once a bustling attraction, the Ba Sing Se Zoo had become worse and worse over the years. After the budget for the zoo was cut, there was no money for its upkeep. All the zoo employees except for Kenji, the zookeeper, had left, and the zoo became a dilapidated place.

In 100 AG, when Team Avatar arrived in Ba Sing Se, Aang, while flying high over the city in search of Appa, landed at a small farm. Around the zoo, he saw a wide variety of animals, all of which were miserable in their small cages and partially starved. Kenji told Aang that the zoo was no longer receiving funding from the Dai Li because the children had stopped coming. Nobody came to the zoo because it was also quite filthy and one of the cages showed an animal lying near multiple piles of feces. When Kenji said that he would have liked nothing more than to let his animals run wild in open spaces, Aang suggested moving the animals to an open area just outside the city, near the Agrarian Zone.

Aang spoke to Kenji about moving the zoo to a more open area.

The animals proved much more difficult to control than Aang had originally thought and they ended up running wild all over the city, terrorizing the citizens. Hog monkeys destroyed a shop, various animals attacked the citizens, and the cabbage merchant had his cabbages eaten by a rabaroo. After unsuccessfully trying to restore order, Aang pulled out his bison whistle and blew a huge burst of air through it using airbending, which drew the attention of the animals. He subsequently hopped on an air scooter as the animals ran after him.

Meanwhile, Kenji frantically tried to get the guards to open the gate, who refused until they saw the oncoming stampede. Once the gates were opened, Aang flew past the stampede on his glider, before creating another air scooter to ride. Using earthbending, he created a wall around the animals and continued to earthbend paths, secluded areas, and habitat features. The children and their families came flocking to the new zoo and the zookeeper thanked the Avatar for his help, telling him he should have a job with animals. However, the zoo animals were not the only creatures that followed the sound of the whistle, as many cats, dogs, and cat-dog hybrids were also inside the animal pens, causing the zookeeper to change his mind and say that Aang should "stick to helping people".

Description

Lower Ring

The defunct zoo was located in the Lower Ring, carved into the hillside. Only a small sign above the entrance indicated its existence. Visitors could see open-air, barred, cage-like enclosures bordered by the rock face. Other cages hung from poles protruding from the walls. There were also pits enclosed with bars from which the animals could be observed. The paths were paved.

Agrarian Zone

The zoo was relocated to the Agrarian Zone. It was surrounded by an irregularly shaped wall and had about six circular enclosures, also rock walled, but open at the top. They were underground and their layout varied. Some had several rocks to climb, others were flat or had pools of water. Visitors could explore the complex on unpaved paths and observe the enclosures from the walls. When Aang designed the zoo, he made no visible provisions for flying animals, although some lived there.

Known fauna

• Dragonfly
• Elephant mandrill
• Gemsbok bull
• Hog monkey
• Platypus bear
• Rabaroo
• Tigerdillo
• Turtle seal

Trivia

• The zoo's name (快樂動物園
  (Kuàilè dòngwùyuán)) as written in "The Tales of Ba Sing Se", translates as "happy zoo".