Lomography

Ark of Avilon
作者：halfawakehaiku, 刊登於 May 11th, 2009 , 2 comments (4 votes)

I’m a little bit on the fence when it comes to zoos and their place in modern society. On one hand, I understand proponents of the movement which seeks down all kinds of zoos for the welfare of the animals. And on the other side of the coin, hearing a child go “Wow” and get all giddy when they are able hold the hand of an orangutan and or see a giant tortoise up close is nearest thing to magic most of us are ever going to get.

The Ark Of Avilon is a two story indoor zoo that was built at the side of a main thoroughfare of Manila. It’s quite strange to see an ark like structure in the middle of nowhere. It’s even stranger to see animals on the second floor skyline with a nearby flyover filled with cars passing by. The zoo prides itself for being the first interactive indoor zoo in the country. For about 5 USD, visitors are able to see various large cats like the Sumatran Tiger, Sun Bear, Jaguar, Lion and the famed White Tiger. What makes the place so interesting is the level of interaction you can get with some of the animals. I have to say being able to play fight and pet a tiger cub is really something else.

There are feeding stations where for a small fee, patrons can grass to water buffalo, carrots to rabbits, and raw chicken heads to carnivorous fish. Up on the second floor you’ll be able to see other colorful birds and do some other fun activities like face painting, henna tattoos or just grab a meal at the café, once you’ve worked out an appetite. Like their main site in Montalban, the Ark of Avilon has an army of friendly staff & guides who display a genuine sense of care for the animals they handle. They are eager to ease kids into getting personal with the animals.

At the end of the day I’m gonna leave the quarrel to the radical environmentalists and the pro-zoo advocates. I’m just happy that in my lifetime, I got to play with a really big cat.

Link: http://avilonzoo.com.ph/