After a 10-month delay, the controversial 1.15-billion-baht Chiang Mai Night Safari Park finally celebrated its grand opening on February 6, but without the long-awaited 175 wild animals it is trying to obtain from Kenya. The zoo was originally scheduled to open on April 13 last year, but the date was postponed several times, partly because of problems involving the import of wild animals from foreign countries, including Kenya and Australia. Most of the 900 animals being displayed at the Night Safari were obtained from domestic zoos, with the exception of white tigers from China and hippos from Germany. The highlights of the opening were an extravagant performance staged by the zoo's director, Plodprasop Suraswadi, and the debut of a pair of white tiger cubs _ Lizhen and Zhaojin _ donated by a zoo in China as a gesture of friendship between Bangkok and Beijing.

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