(V)IPs Zoos

It was a very hot - a steep 36 °C - and humid day when I visited Bangkok's Dusit Zoo, and according the weather forecast rain showers were expected at the end of the afternoon. I sure hoped the animals were better acclimatised to these circumstances than I was. Otherwise not much activity could be expected. The Zoo was within walking distance from my hotel, but this 30-minutes walk already made me decide that my return would be on wheels, either taxi, bus or tuk-tuk.

When I entered via the entrance on Rama V road, one of the three entrances of the zoo in the Dusit district, I had my first experience with zoo entertainment in Thailand. On the right hand side there were a few children's attractions, including the penetrating sounds children love so much, and in front of me I saw a lake with pedal boats. As if I had entered an amusement park. This was not very reassuring for what was waiting for me, knowing that there was a real amusement park to my left in a corner of the Zoological park, away from the animals. I knew Asian zoos are into amusement, so I was a bit worried what to expect next. Well, to cut a long story short, it was different from European zoos, but then again it was not. I assume you will never see a karaoke bar in a French zoo for instance, or allowing visitors in a Danish zoo to feed sharks meat with a fishing rod. On the other hand the daily performances with birds and seals are not that much different from what you can see in many European zoos. A bit more tricks and entertainment perhaps. The elephant's show is preposterous though, with the pachyderms performing tricks for an audience in an enormous theatre, purpose-built for this type of show, which is not their enclosure. Moreover, the elephants perform together with a special group of acrobats, clothes and all, like in a circus. The animals are primarily trained to perform, not to improve the handling and care or avoid boredom. And for this additional amusement - shark feeding, seal show, elephant show - an entrance fee has to be paid, of course. In this way the Zoo generates the much needed additional income.

So, after I reset myself and adjusted to the climate and the amusement culture, I was in for another surprise, the water monitors. The (Varanus salvator) is a large lizard native to Southern Asia, and roams around free in the park. At first I thought they only occupied the lake and that you should be careful when using a pedal boat. But, to be quite frank, when I saw one climb ashore and cross the path I walked on towards the deer enclosures, it startled me. It is the only close-encounter that you may experience in Dusit Zoo, since they did not create enclosures that allow close-encounters, yet. Considering enclosure design, there are 'Hagenbeck-style' bar-less enclosures with moats, but only a few mixed species exhibits, let alone landscape immersion enclosures.

The Zoo focuses on regional threatened species, such as those protected by Thai law. They take their educational tasks serious, and provide lots of information, including species conservation status, both in Thai and English on the panels next to the enclosures. The grouping of their animal collection is a bit fuzzy. In general you may say that it is species oriented, although there is an African zone and Australian section. In both cases the respective geographical region is also represented by species in other parts of the Zoo: the hippos and the ring-tailed lemur are not housed in the African zone, and several Australasian bird species are kept on 'bird island'. This is common in many zoos, and usually caused by renovation, expansion and modernisation. I appreciate the Zoo's focus on Asian species. It's just that they seem to try and display as many species as possible, which usually is not for the benefit of the animals.

The ungulates are the first group of species you encounter when starting from the Rama V road entrance. In the first enclosure a large group of brow-antlered deer (Rucervus eldii siamensis) is kept in an enclosure with a moat, a perfect habitat for a water monitor (see the video). According the Red List of Threatened Species the conservation status of Rucervus eldii is endangered, but the taxonomic status of the subspecies R.e.siamensis is unknown since its distribution in Thailand is obscure and has not been researched yet. One of the female deer is seriously crippled, which seems to be due to nerve damage, and she would never survive in the wild. I seriously doubt if such an animal should be kept alive in a zoo, because it appears (at time of visit) that she is not a member of the herd anymore, at least does not engage in the herd's behaviour.

Both species of muntjac native to Thailand are on display in Dusit Zoo, the barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak) and Fea's barking deer (Muntiacus feae). Especially the enclosure for the barking deer, the extremely rare albino variant, is lavishly furnished with trees, shrubs and bamboo.

A real nice exhibit is the Sumatran serow (Capricornis sumatraensis) enclosure. The Sumatran serow is a species of goat-antelope native to the Thai-Malay peninsula and Sumatra. The enclosure has got a rock face wall with several levels for the animals to lie down and rest. In front of the enclosure there is a pond with a variety of fish species, all with explanatory notes on the information panel.

The three hippopotamuses are housed in two old-fashioned concrete enclosures with very small pools in which they cannot even submerge. Unlike this pathetic hippodrome, the next door bear enclosures are more fit-for-purpose. Both bear species, Malayan sun bear and Asian black bear, have enclosures at their disposal that are, though rather small, beautifully green, with hiding places, high level resting platforms, and a waterfall.

The reptile house comprises an enormous collection of snakes, most of them from the southeast Asian region. Exceptions are the green anaconda, Brazilian rainbow boa-constrictor, corn snake and the royal python. The vivariums for the snake are all indoors and are not very different from what you can see in other zoos worldwide. Outdoors, in very small areas, they keep crocodiles such as the Siamese crocodile (Crocodilus siamensis), which was declared extinct in the wild due to the crocodile skin industry. But after the rediscovery of the species in the wild and conservation efforts there are about 250 specimens in the wild again (see More info). In addition they have a fine collection of turtle species, such as the Aldabra giant tortoise.

In this corner of the Zoo a wooden footbridge, starting at the hippo enclosure and ending just across the entrance on Ratchavitee road, offers quite a different view on the animals and their enclosures. This is the most interesting part of the Zoo with the predators and primates within short walking distance. In general the enclosures are not very large but provided with a natural environment. Unfortunately the noise of Ratchavitee road is very audible here.

One of the highlights here is the red-shanked douc langur (Pygathrix nemaeus). Dusit Zoo plays a major role in breeding this endangered primates. The red-shanked douc langur is a rare animal found in the forests of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Because of its beauty it is captured for the pet trade. As baby langurs are totally dependent on their mother, the stress of capturing, transport and life in captivity causes death to about 95% of baby langurs caught in the wild. Dusit Zoo has good experience with hand-rearing baby douc langurs, and many gravely sick animals are given to the Zoo and brought back to good health again. At the moment the Zoo keeps 34 douc langurs in six breeding groups. These langur groups are kept in large cages with lots of enrichment, and they are well sealed-off from the public, considering the double layers of wire mesh they used. This is probably to prevent the visitors from feeding the animals, which seems to be a very common habit, still. At every enclosure the public is asked not to feed the animals because they 'need a balanced diet ...'. Apart from research on nutrional requirements of the douc langur, they do genetic profiling to prevent inbreeding when kept in captivity. In addition to the douc langur the Zoo keeps dusky langurs (Trachypithecus obscurus) and phayre's langurs (Trachypithecus phayrei).

Unlike the cage-like construction of the langurs, the orangutan enclosure resembles more a natural environment with rocks, grass and tree trunks, but there are not many enrichment features.

The big cats are all in a good condition, not too fat, so it seems. Considering the distance they cover in their wild habitat their enclosures are way too small of course. But this is not very different in many other zoos worldwide. In Dusit Zoo the enclosures provide a natural habitat with not much exposure to the public, lots of foliage, high level observation posts and most of the times a pool. The Zoo keeps eight Bengal tigers, including two white specimens which are held separate. The clouded leopard has got its own little dense rainforest, but for this agile tree dweller there seems to be little opportunities to develop its arboreal skills. Furthermore they keep panthers (Panthera pardus) with normal and melanistic coats in separate enclosures, and Asian lions.

In this part of the Zoo you can also find fishing cats and caracal. Much to my pleasure the fishing cats were not shy and hiding, but grooming each other right in front of the viewing window. Although they are relaxed you can see in the video they feel disturbed by the attention they get from a child.

The nocturnal houses some other carnivores, such as the leopard cat, binturong and some species of palm civets.

At the end of the wooden footbridge the first mixed species exhibit appears in the Africa zone. Two giraffes and one Burchell's zebra (Equus burchelli) are housed together in an enclosure that has some features that reminds of Africa. According to a noticeboard ostrich and okapi are inhabitants of this exhibit too, but I have not seen them. Adjacent to this enclosure the meerkats have their home, and a little further down the path the pygmy hippopotamus can be found. It is provided with a better enclosure than its 'big brother', with bottom covering of natural materials instead of bare concrete flooring and a relative large pool, though swimming is not possible.

The Zoo museum is combined with an indoor penguin exhibit. This makes sense, considering the climate control that is necessary to keep these animals comfortable in Thailand's tropical conditions. At the moment I walked in, one of the zookeepers was just showing an Humboldt penguin to school children, who were allowed to touch the animal. This must have been a stressful situation for the penguin, I can imagine. I never before saw a penguin or other zoo animal brought out of its enclosure among the public for this purpose. In fact, if the animal escaped it could go anywhere, because there were no barriers anymore.

Close to the elephant theatre there is a row of cages with a peculiar combination of species. Two cages are used as aviary for hornbills, and four contain a binturong, a two-toed sloth, a ring-tailed lemur and a group of common squirrel monkeys respectively. In my opinion it is unacceptable, that a ring-tailed lemur, in the wild living in social groups, was housed on its own. A bit further up the road the Zoo keeps three species of gibbons, Northern white-cheeked gibbon (Nemascus leucogenys), white-handed gibbon (Hylobates lar) and pileated gibbon (Hylobates pileatus). All gibbon enclosures have similar construction and features, wire mesh cages that lack real trees. The cages are enriched with ropes, tree trunks and chains, and have a total height of about 8 metres. You could argue whether these enclosures are fit-for-purpose or not.

The 'Bird Island' comprises rows and rows of aviaries specifically focused on psittacines from Southeast Asia, Australia and South America. As I am not particularly interested in birds, this part of the park is not my favourite. However, it seems to be a place where lovers go to, to have a quiet stroll along the cages, which historically have been a pastime of the rich in many zoos all over the world.

Finally, like any other zoo that wants to provide entertainment and education for children, there is the inevitable petting zoo - in this case the Thay-Danish dairy farm and training centre.

The Siamese crocodile is one of the world's rarest reptiles, with fewer than 250 adults in the wild. Crocodile numbers declined rapidly during the 20th century due to poaching, collection of eggs and adults for crocodile farms and habitat loss.

Since the rediscovery of the species in the wild in 2000 FFI has been working to save this species, spearheading a pioneering programme with the Royal Government of Cambodia and local communities to save this Critically Endangered reptile.

Now in its 13th year, the Cambodian Crocodile Conservation Programme (CCCP) has broken new ground in helping local communities to live alongside these large predators.

(Source: Fauna & Flora International Oryx Insider Circle, 26.06.2013)

Some additional information, such as contact details and involvement in breeding programmes.

Directions to Dusit Zoo

Thanks to its convenient location in the Dusit district, Dusit Zoo is within walking distance of Bangkok's many attractions. Nevertheless, first you have to get to the attractions when you want to walk to Dusit Zoo.

Address:
71 Rama V Road
Dusit
Bangkok 10300
Thailand

public transport

The zoo is right next to the Abhisek Dusit Throne Hall. There is no rapid public transportation that will take you directly to the zoo, but you can take the skytrain (BTS - Bangkok Train System) Sukhumvit Line and get off at Victory Monument Station (or N3 Station), and go out through Exit No. 3 facing Rajavithee Road. Then take a taxi the rest of the way. Depending on traffic, expect to spend about 10 minutes in the taxi.

Or you can take a bus or public vehicle from Victory Monument Station to Dusit Zoo. Buses (bus stop in front of the hospital) that go there are: #18, 28, 108, 528,515, 539, and 542.

Bus #10 (air-conditioned) will get you to the Zoo as well.

Of course you can always take a taxi or tuk-tuk directly to the zoo from wherever you are located. Don't forget to negotiate the price beforehand.

Another option would be to take a water-taxi or express boat via Chao Praya (Bangkok river) and get off at Thewet, near Krung Kasem Road. From there you can walk, but it isn't very close, or you can take a taxi or tuk-tuk.

by bicycle

Cycling to the Zoo is probably not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Bangkok. However, there are several specialised tour companies that are convinced exploring Bangkok by bicycle is an exciting way to experience Thailand's capital. So, why not rent a bicycle and pedal yourself to the Zoo. It will be different from seeing Bangkok from the skytrain, tuk-tuk or taxi! Besides some tour companies that have bicycles for rent to explore Bangkok on your own, such as Follow Me, a bicycle rental service has been launched on 1 May 2013.

by car

Driving your own car or rental car is an option, but only if you are feeling confident about this. And did I mention already that you can always take a taxi or tuk-tuk to the zoo from wherever you are located .

Download the zoo map here.