You belong in the zoo

Anyone that spends more than a few minutes inside Beijing Zoo will encounter the familiar visage of the Giant Panda. The ubiquitous panda, mascot to the world during the 2008 Summer Olympics, has become virtually synonymous with the zoo. The place even charges an extra 5 yuan to see the animals, and nearly every tourist finds themselves checking out the exhibit.

However, there's a lot more to the zoo than just watching a bunch of pandas chewing bamboo. The Beijing Zoo hosts animals from nearly every continent; the flora and fauna that can be found here is incredibly diverse. The century-old zoo, at the latest count, houses over 7,000 creatures, from the tiny lemur to the enormous African elephant. You can find a shortlist of some of the more interesting exhibits below. The safari is on!

Lions, tigers and bears