In the past, when people were not so well off and there was little in the way of entertainment to be had, especially during the 1940'sand 50's, the zoo was one of the busiest weekend spots around town. Yangmingshan Park, New Park, and the Botanical Gardens were popular too, but for the young, it was the zoo that was best loved.
而且民國三、四十年代，可以休閒遊樂的地方不多，一般人也窮，陽明山、植物園、新公園及動物園等地，便成了假日最熱門的去處，其中，動物園更是小學生遠足必到的地方。