Snowleopard's 2024 Road Trip: Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore & Indonesia

[Flat headed cat]

This zoo desperately needs a bull elephant enclosure.

We have a policy to create new areas for bull elephants, but we still have to chain them for restraint in treatment and for research, semen extraction, and fertility testing for artificial insemination Because Khao Kheow elephants are genetically sound and are the future of elephants in Thailand and in the waza Domestic elephants in Thailand have inbreeding problems because they only use the same males. Our elephants with good genetics will help Some of the elephants in Khao Kheow are more aggressive than others, so we tried to treat them.

 

[Flat headed cat]

Zone 1 also has Forest of Asia, an interesting building that allows visitors to walk into a large structure and continue down a narrow corridor while inside a spacious aviary. I don't have a species lineup as the bird signage was quite sparse, but in terms of mammals this area has Bengal Slow Loris, Southern Red Muntjac and outdoor, nearby exhibits for several larger species.

In here we also have Chinese serow,Lesser mouse-deer,Siamese Fireback,flying fox,Wreathed hornbill

Malayan Tapirs, Malayan Porcupines, Binturongs (the zoo has loads of these guys) and Siamese Crocodiles are all found next to the Forest of Asia building in a series of excellent exhibits.

These animals are part of the forests of Asia Khao Kheow Open Zoo is probably the only zoo where you can see Chinese serow and mainland serow in the same zoo.

 

[Enzo]

DAY 3: Sunday, August 4th

After visiting 5 zoos on my first day, all in and around Bangkok, then 4 zoos on the second day with Konstantin (@twilighter), all approximately two hours north of Bangkok, on our third day we visited 4 zoos to the south of Bangkok. A day centrally, a day north and a day south. For the 3rd consecutive day, it was a hired driver who picked us up from our rented apartment and took us 1.5 hours south to Khao Kheow Open Zoo, which has early morning hours, and after a solid 6 hours at that notable establishment, the driver then drove us a further hour south and we toured a trio of smaller zoos all in Pattaya. We were picked up in the morning before 7:00 a.m. and we didn't get back to the Bangkok apartment until 9:00 p.m. and therefore it was obviously an epically long, 14-hour day of 4 zoos. What else would one do in Thailand? One thing that is already apparent, is that a Snowleopard Road Trip is not for the faint of heart and it means walking 20,000 steps day-after-day for weeks on end. I come back from these trips with exhausted muscles, destroyed shoes and plenty of lifetime memories.

Zoo/Aquarium #9: Khao Kheow Open Zoo (Chon Buri, Thailand) - PART 1 of 3

Here is one of the great zoos of Southeast Asia and this is the best zoo in Thailand. It’s a relatively new facility, opening in 1978, and an absolutely massive place that is around 2,000 acres/800 hectares and one of the largest zoos on the planet. I’d be curious to know how much acreage is actually set aside for the zoo’s exhibits and pathways, as there’s jungle everywhere and the atmosphere of being inside a jungle zoo is fantastic. KK Zoo is divided into two distinct areas, Zone 1 (green) and Zone 2 (pink). It’s possible to walk around Zone 1, but there are some hilly sections and Konstantin and I rented a golf cart as we knew that we’d need it for Zone 2 anyway. Zone 2 is massive and not walkable at all, so either one’s personal vehicle or a golf cart is the only way to access this enormous area. The way of seeing the zoo is to drive a golf cart, get out and look around at a couple of exhibits, jump back into the golf cart and head off to the next section, repeated for 6 hours. If you stayed for presentations, or animal shows, or had a leisurely lunch, or had kids who spent time at a playground, or spent a long time in the enormous Bird Aviary, then I can imagine some zoo nerds would be here from open to close.

I uploaded approximately 220 photos into the gallery and I'm going to divide my comprehensive review of KK Zoo into THREE parts. This is a zoo that if it were picked up and plunked down in North America then it would be one of the best zoos on the continent.

The zoo's map shows pathways in Zone 1 (green - walkable) and Zone 2 (pink - inaccessible by foot) as well as the 8:00 a.m. opening time. Brilliant!

@twilighter

One amazing thing about KK Zoo is its setting. There is jungle everywhere and the amount of wildlife that invades the zoo must be startling. I can only imagine the lizards and snakes that must be seen by visitors throughout the year, let alone the ungulates and primates. We saw two huge Asian Monitor Lizards, both at least 5 feet long from nose to tail and one of them was swimming in the Chimpanzee moat. I would estimate that we saw at least a few hundred Crab-eating Macaques during our visit. In fact, these primates are pests and near the African Savanna we saw a keeper shooting what appeared to either be an air gun or some kind of pellet gun at a troop of the macaques. The monkeys are invariably drawn to food and of course at a zoo there is plenty of food in all directions, both for humans and captive animals. Early on, some macaques jumped on our golf cart and stole half a chocolate bar that I had sitting there wrapped up in a bag, which also never returned. Later on, we had our water bottles taken and Konstantin and I understandably didn’t want to drink from them after some macaques had been sucking on the nozzles.

The monkeys became a bit of a pain, as we couldn’t leave anything on the golf cart or else it would be ransacked and so at each stop we had to make sure to bring our hats, zoo maps, etc., with us or else our stuff would disappear into the jungle. The Crab-eating Macaques are bold, showing up on playgrounds, near the entrance, even in a group of 50 near the row of Binturong exhibits. Everywhere is pure jungle, so the monkeys can effortlessly disappear into the rainforest if a human approaches. The big males are bold and inquisitive; thus, they are not easily scared away and in truth it’s best to steer clear of them. For Konstantin and I, the army of Crab-eating Macaques at the zoo weren’t really a major issue once we understood that we couldn’t leave anything on the golf cart. However, for families with little kids they had to make sure to shove everything into a backpack and carry their stuff around with them or else the macaques would descend on their golf carts with delight.

The African Savanna has a brilliant, huge exhibit that's full of Crab-eating Macaques as well as captive exotic species such as Giraffe, Common Eland, Nyala, Blackbuck, Blue Wildebeest, Gemsbok and Ostrich. There's multiple vantage points for visitor viewing and lush jungle as a backdrop and I loved it.

Nearby, one can find an extensive Common Hippo complex with a large pool and a spacious amount of land area. It's a very nice habitat, with the pool shaded from the burning sunshine.

A modern, good-sized Lion exhibit is close to the sprawling savanna. I bet the rampaging macaques avoid this zone! There's also species such as White Rhinos, Plains Zebras, Meerkats, a flamingo pool (one of two flamingo exhibits at this zoo), Ring-tailed Lemurs and Spotted Hyenas in the top-notch African area. This whole section is absolutely first class.

You can see two Spotted Hyenas in their multi-level enclosure set against a wall of jungle. The animals have access to the lower and upper levels, as does a Tiger in an adjacent exhibit.

Close by are several Asian species, all in exemplary exhibits. An enclosure for Asiatic Black Bears stretches even farther back than what is shown in my photo and it's one of the best bear exhibits I saw on the trip.

There's also a great exhibit for Sun Bears and they were Kung Fu fighting.

We saw several Red-shanked Douc Langurs, in multiple exhibits, in Zone 1 of the zoo. These are very tall enclosures with glass bottoms and netted tops. There's an absolute minimum of FIVE exhibits for Red-shanked Douc Langurs at this zoo and in the space of a few hours I saw more of these monkeys than I had in my lifetime! Everywhere are keepers who are not planting vegetation as they would in European and North American zoos, but instead they have chainsaws and are cutting back the encroaching jungle that threatens to take over everything.

Zone 1 also has Forest of Asia, an interesting building that allows visitors to walk into a large structure and continue down a narrow corridor while inside a spacious aviary. I don't have a species lineup as the bird signage was quite sparse, but in terms of mammals this area has Bengal Slow Loris, Southern Red Muntjac and outdoor, nearby exhibits for several larger species.

Mainland Serow are found here in a large exhibit with rocks and shade and bumpy jungle tree roots. Wild monkeys can sometimes be seen up in the treetops.

Malayan Tapirs, Malayan Porcupines, Binturongs (the zoo has loads of these guys) and Siamese Crocodiles are all found next to the Forest of Asia building in a series of excellent exhibits.

Of course, KK Zoo has Asian Elephants and here's my photo that provides an overview of the exhibit. The nearest elephant, on the right-hand side, was chained to that location, a few elephants were free to wander around their enclosure, and then the enormous elephant at the very back was also chained to one spot. This zoo has been chaining its male elephants for more years than I care to contemplate, which is a tragedy in many ways, and there's more than 20 photos in the gallery of the zoo's elephants if one wishes to see which individuals are chained throughout the day and which ones are unchained. Apparently, WAZA is aware of the situation and for safety reasons the big males are kept on chains, but I have no idea if they are let loose at night (maybe when the females are put inside?) or if the males are chained for most of their lives. This zoo desperately needs a bull elephant enclosure.

There's an Elephant Learning Center, which is like a cool elephant museum, and KK Zoo is renowned for having underwater viewing of elephants during specific time slots. Also, the elephant paddock had a tremendous herd of FIFTY Hog Deer in with the elephants and the enclosure is much larger than what is shown in my photo.

A chained bull with massive tusks:

We didn't stick around for the ultra-popular underwater viewing of the Asian Elephants, as there are set time slots, but here's what it looks like.

@DannySG

There's also a Zoology Discovery Center, which is essentially a Reptile House with many boring, common species such as Leopard Geckos, Green Iguanas and Bearded Dragons.

Here's the memorable interior:

Up next will be PART TWO and PART THREE of my KK Zoo review, which will mainly look at Zone 2 which is inaccessible by foot. All visitors must either drive their own vehicle or rent a golf cart for that half of the zoo as it's a vast area of land. Zone 2 includes a world-class pair of hillside habitats for Banteng and Gaur, an above-average Australian area, top-notch enclosures for Chimpanzees and Orangutans, Tiger Valley with its 10 feline species, and I will also discuss the gigantic Bird Aviary (which is fantastic) and some surrounding aviaries and other smaller exhibits that are found in Zone 1. Stay tuned...

The itinerary so far:

DAY 1: Friday, August 2nd

1- Bangkok Snake Farm (Bangkok, Thailand)
2- Peuan Deratchan Mini Zoo (Bangkok, Thailand)
3- Bangkok Butterfly Garden (Bangkok, Thailand)
4- Pata Zoo (Bangkok, Thailand)
5- Sea Life Bangkok Ocean World (Bangkok, Thailand)

DAY 2: Saturday, August 3rd

6- Wildlife Rescue Center No. 1 (Nakhon Nayok, Thailand)
7- Sriayuthaya Lion Park (Nong Khanak, Thailand)
8- Lopburi Zoo (Lopburi, Thailand)

DAY 3: Sunday, August 4th

9- Khao Kheow Open Zoo (Chon Buri, Thailand) 3-part review
10- ??
11- ??
12- ??

It seems Khao Keow does great use of its land area and setting. Different from North American and European zoos, you do not feel like you are in the jungle, you ARE in the jungle.

A few places this side of the Pacific follow Khao Keow's example to various degrees of success. The best attempt, in my opinion, was done by Parque das Aves (one of the best zoos in Brazil), in Foz do Iguaçu. They claim to have never cut down a tree to build an exhibit, and it sounds right to me. I went there in 2015 and revisiting this zoo is surely one of my main goals for the near future.

As you see, Latin America and Southeast Asia are very different when it comes to animal ethics. If a Brazilian animal rights activist found out a zoo elephant was chained people would be outraged and demand the animal be sent to the sanctuary in Mato Grosso.

 

[NSU42]

It’s possible to walk around Zone 1, but there are some hilly sections and Konstantin and I rented a golf cart as we knew that we’d need it for Zone 2 anyway. Zone 2 is massive and not walkable at all, so either one’s personal vehicle or a golf cart is the only way to access this enormous area. The way of seeing the zoo is to drive a golf cart, get out and look around at a couple of exhibits, jump back into the golf cart and head off to the next section, repeated for 6 hours.

Did the golf cart at least move faster than you felt like could you could walk? We rented one when we were at the National Zoo of South Africa in Pretoria, as we felt it would save time at that large zoo and we had a couple hours to drive afterwards, and it was extremely slow. It did in fact move faster than I walked at a normal pace, but not by much. I also found it very annoying to view the zoo this way, having to hop in and out of the golf cart constantly. Luckily, my wife was along and didn't desire to get out at most exhibits and just chauffeured me along. I feel like I would have been even more annoyed with the situation if I had to drive.

I would estimate that we saw at least a few hundred Crab-eating Macaques during our visit. In fact, these primates are pests and near the African Savanna we saw a keeper shooting what appeared to either be an air gun or some kind of pellet gun at a troop of the macaques. The monkeys are invariably drawn to food and of course at a zoo there is plenty of food in all directions, both for humans and captive animals. Early on, some macaques jumped on our golf cart and stole half a chocolate bar that I had sitting there wrapped up in a bag, which also never returned. Later on, we had our water bottles taken and Konstantin and I understandably didn’t want to drink from them after some macaques had been sucking on the nozzles.

The monkeys became a bit of a pain, as we couldn’t leave anything on the golf cart or else it would be ransacked and so at each stop we had to make sure to bring our hats, zoo maps, etc., with us or else our stuff would disappear into the jungle. The Crab-eating Macaques are bold, showing up on playgrounds, near the entrance, even in a group of 50 near the row of Binturong exhibits. Everywhere is pure jungle, so the monkeys can effortlessly disappear into the rainforest if a human approaches. The big males are bold and inquisitive; thus, they are not easily scared away and in truth it’s best to steer clear of them. For Konstantin and I, the army of Crab-eating Macaques at the zoo weren’t really a major issue once we understood that we couldn’t leave anything on the golf cart. However, for families with little kids they had to make sure to shove everything into a backpack and carry their stuff around with them or else the macaques would descend on their golf carts with delight.

We had similar experiences with the Toque Macaques in Sri Lanka, but I was at least well aware of the pests that macaques could be beforehand and made sure to warn my wife. That didn't stop them from attempting to get a few things and succeeding in one instance. The one time one succeeded in snatching something from us was at the ancient rock fortress of Sigiriya in central Sri Lanka and the macaques were everywhere there. We had stopped in the little convenience store they had on sight to grab some waters and a couple cokes before starting our ascent. At one point on the way up, my wife had stopped to rest on bench and drank some of the coke. She set it down beside her for the briefest of moments and before we knew it one of the macaques had snatched it. She instinctually tried reaching out for it as this happened, but it bared its teeth at her and she smartly realized that wasn't a good idea and the coke was lost. The monkey proceeded to open the bottle with its teeth as it had clearly done this before and dumped it out a little at a time onto the bench to lick it up as it sat on the bench beside her. Here's a photo of my wife looking sadly on as the monkey drank her coke:



Funnily enough, it almost happened again once we were back down and had stopped at the shop again for a couple more cokes to have on the long car ride back to the city (similarly had hired a driver for the day as we also were not going to drive in Sri Lanka for the exact same reasons you have described). As soon as we walked out of the store, one of the macaques tried to snatch one of the cokes right out of her hands. Startled, my wife screamed and it scared the monkey a little ways away without the prize, but these monkeys are clearly not afraid and have success with these tactics.

Similar to you, we also saw a police officer/guard at a different sight, this time a Buddhist temple, firing a slingshot at the macaques. It struck me as a bit ironic that the only place we saw this happening (I'm sure it happens elsewhere as well though) was at place of religious pilgrimage for a religion that at least has the impression amongst most people as being a peaceful one.

Of course, KK Zoo has Asian Elephants and here's my photo that provides an overview of the exhibit. The nearest elephant, on the right-hand side, was chained to that location, a few elephants were free to wander around their enclosure, and then the enormous elephant at the very back was also chained to one spot. This zoo has been chaining its male elephants for more years than I care to contemplate, which is a tragedy in many ways, and there's more than 20 photos in the gallery of the zoo's elephants if one wishes to see which individuals are chained throughout the day and which ones are unchained.

This seems to be a common thing in Southeast Asia unfortunately as all of the elephants I saw at the National Zoo of Sri Lanka were chained and in much worse exhibits than seen here with cement/brick floors. (Yes, I'm aware one of the exhibits the at least appear to have pools/larger yard that they are likely given access to, but what is the point of those if they are chained up most of the time? Perhaps someone can tell me differently.) I have to imagine that is their life for the most part unfortunately as how would you ever get these animals to cooperate each day in order to allow you to chain them back up? Especially if these bulls at Khao Kheow are more aggressive than others as Flat headed cat says in his comment.

One of the zoos in Sri Lanka, the Ridiyagama Safari Park, did not have any chained elephants as far as I could tell and had two separate paddocks for their elephants one for bulls and one for the cows. The bull elephant exhibit only had two animals in there that I could see, one being the only African Elephant in Sri Lanka (with bigger tusks than any of the Africans I had seen on safari in South Africa) and the other being an Asian Elephant. The Asian Elephant did have a chain around his leg, but it was not connected to anything. When I asked about it, our guide told us that he was a "very angry elephant" and wouldn't let anyone near him to remove it. This was demonstrated by the fact that the elephant came storming up to the edge of his exhibit when he saw us coming and was very demonstrative and making it clear he did not like us there. Part of this definitely had to due with the guide taunting him a bit though, as the guides here have no problem doing what they feel is necessary in order to give you what they feel is a "good experience". Similarly, in one of the lion enclosures our driver sprayed/crinkled a mostly empty water bottle at some sleeping lions to get them to wake up. We did not ask for this obviously, they just did it before we knew what was happening.

Hopefully the fact that these elephants are now unchained is a sign that the zoos are starting to improve in Sri Lanka (however slowly), as that park is still very new having just opened in 2016 and all three zoos in the country are run by the same government agency.

Did you see any elephants on the roads while driving around giving rides? This was something we saw on a few occasions in Sri Lanka and I'm sure it is common elsewhere in SE Asia as well.

Apparently, WAZA is aware of the situation and for safety reasons the big males are kept on chains, but I have no idea if they are let loose at night (maybe when the females are put inside?) or if the males are chained for most of their lives. This zoo desperately needs a bull elephant enclosure.

Just out of curiosity, but what exactly would the WAZA do about this? I know they theoretically set standards for all their zoos/organizations, but I feel like they are very hands off when it comes to the actual accrediting of facilities and seem to leave that up to each of the regional associations to handle. This approach to me just feels like they are little powerless here unless they want to bar/ban the entire association that is accrediting these zoos. Maybe I'm wrong and would be happy to learn otherwise.

 

[Batto]

The problem with zoos accepting rescue animals is that most, whether the rescue is of sick or confiscated animals, common. Soon the zoo is full of common animals with no room for others.

And once people know that the zoo takes in their unwanted exotic pets, they will merrily drop them at your door step. Out of sight, out of mind; let someone else take care of my problem.

There's a few pits for a variety of smaller animals, including this open-topped one for Monocled Cobras.

How interesting; was the cobra still inside the enclosure?

boring, common species such as Leopard Geckos, Green Iguanas and Bearded Dragons.

Hey, it's not their fault that they are common in the international pet trade. And they are not "boring" by default...

 

[Jurek7]

I am enjoying this thread, even if I have little time to comment!

The answer is a shocking 1,200 Crab-eating Macaques, all in barren, old-fashioned cages that probably get hosed down and that's the extent of the cleaning. We saw numerous babies and so this place is not only 'rescuing' problem macaques but they are breeding them as well.

That is why I am very sceptical about so-called 'sanctuaries' in tropical countries. The people are well meaning, but they face the same problems with the lack of money, bureaucracy and uncertainty which put animals in danger in the wild in these countries in the first place.

Next time you read somebody saying that 'wild animals are best preserved in sanctuaries in their home countries where they enjoy a suitable warm climate', show these photos.

But, certainly, any animal sanctuary is easily overwhelmed with the sheer number of non-releaseable wild animals. I saw 20 buzzards in a sanctuary in Europe cramped in an aviary the same way as these brahminy kites.

Zoo/Aquarium #9: Khao Kheow Open Zoo (Chon Buri, Thailand) - PART 1 of 3

It is normal for working elephants in South Asia.

I actually twice driven past the gate of this zoo and knew it is good. But I chosen to spend my limited time in Thailand to see wild animals in the real wild. Now I know what I missed.

Herds of habituated macaques are a common sight in South-east Asia. In Malaysia, people put fluffy toy tigers all over, because monkeys fear these.

 

[snowleopard]

@Flat headed cat Thanks for your comments on my Khao Kheow Open Zoo review (Part 1). Do you work at the zoo in some capacity? I'm really curious how long the bull elephants are chained for, because it seemed like many hours while I was at the zoo. I realize that chaining elephants in Thailand is relatively normal, but standing in basically one spot for an endless amount of time has resulted in foot issues for elephants at other zoos and it would be interesting to know if that was a major problem at KK Zoo.

@Enzo You are 100% correct that in other nations there would never be a chained elephant on display in a public setting or the outcry would be enormous. However, at a zoo in Pattaya (to be reviewed in the future), I saw TEN Asian Elephants and every single one was on chains.

@NSU42 You have lots of great stories from Sri Lanka and I appreciate you contributing to this thread. Seeing wild macaques in loads of zoos was a thrill for me, but they can also be a total nuisance and I wouldn't put my hands anywhere near the big males as they truly stand their ground. I'm honestly surprised that some zoos don't shoot or poison them (perhaps they do!), regardless of whether it's illegal or not, as the macaques were everywhere at KK Zoo and there's even a photo of mine of a Crab-eating Macaque on the playground. For people who live in Thailand, seeing elephants and macaques in such circumstances is totally normal.

I didn't see any elephants giving rides on the side of the road, but I did see elephants at several zoos walking around amidst visitors and being led by a staff member. And yes, the golf carts go at a fast speed and are in fact more enjoyable to ride than I was anticipating. At a zoo with 2,000 acres/800 hectares, which is the quoted amount at KK Zoo, having a golf cart was really neat for doubling-back to see exhibits a second time. As for WAZA, I suppose that organization could threaten to pull accreditation for zoos that continue to chain elephants, but there's obviously respect for the cultural impact of elephants in Southeast Asian nations and so I'm guessing that WAZA doesn't do anything.

@Batto The Monocled Cobra at Lopburi Zoo was curled up inside its tiny shelter. Have you seen my species list for the first review on this thread (Bangkok Snake Farm)? That's a place right up your alley!

@Jurek7 I totally agree with your assessment of "sanctuaries". Even in North America, some of the worst zoos I've ever seen have been so-called sanctuaries and those facilities are usually just a collection of naff little metal cages.

 

[Flat headed cat]

Thanks for your comments on my Khao Kheow Open Zoo review (Part 1). Do you work at the zoo in some capacity? I'm really curious how long the bull elephants are chained for, because it seemed like many hours while I was at the zoo. I realize that chaining elephants in Thailand is relatively normal, but standing in basically one spot for an endless amount of time has resulted in foot issues for elephants at other zoos and it would be interesting to know if that was a major problem at KK Zoo

We have morning walks and zookeepers walk us around the zoo (for all the Asian elephants in Khao Kheow). We regularly study stress hormones and the positive effects are acknowledged by waza Because Asian elephants are animals that easily cause drama and are animals that people value, we have always insisted that we take good care of them.

 

[Batto]

Have you seen my species list for the first review on this thread (Bangkok Snake Farm)? That's a place right up your alley!

I have. Neat.

 

[snowleopard]

DAY 3: Sunday, August 4th

As promised...

Zoo/Aquarium #9: Khao Kheow Open Zoo (Chon Buri, Thailand) - PART 2 of 3

KK Zoo's Zone 2 is inaccessible by foot and so all visitors either take their private vehicles or rent a golf cart in order to get around. The first two exhibits that are seen are both stunning, world-class habitats that are moated enclosures that fade into the deep jungle. To stand and watch a herd of Banteng emerge from the trees is a special experience. Look at that backdrop!

Right next door is a very similar exhibit for Gaur, combined with a few Banteng, and a whole troop of Crab-eating Macaques were there at the same time. It's all remarkably wild-like.

@twilighter

Zoo nerd alert! Here's a Snowleopard specimen, 6 feet/182 cm in height, 174 pounds/79 kg in weight, bald, wears a backwards Calgary Zoo hat, collects zoo maps for a hobby and drives golf cart #229.

The Gaur exhibit in the background has a metal, flat, ladder-like bridge in a couple of areas as a keeper access point and there's literally nothing stopping anyone from wandering across the contraption. Was it tempting? Heck no!

Another massive ungulate paddock is nearby and a short drive down the road, this time for herds of Sambar and Barasingha. Another amazing exhibit.

And the zoo has a second Malayan Tapir exhibit in this general area as well.

When we visited, there was also a section of the road with an exhibit for Large Indian Civets, although we didn't see any even though we doubled back. We found out later that the last civet had either died or left the zoo. However, we saw a whole bunch of Binturongs in old-fashioned cages that offer up a lot of climbing opportunities.

An Australian zone welcomes visitors at this point and there's a large parking lot for the golf carts and personal vehicles.

Having Koalas is a BIG DEAL for many zoos and how many Southeast Asian zoos have Koalas? How many zoos in all of Asia have Koalas? This species remains enormously popular around the world and there's both an indoor and outdoor area for the animals here.

There's a Saltwater Crocodile exhibit within the Australian zone that is pretty basic.

Besides the Koalas and Saltwater Crocs in Oz, there's also species such as Red Kangaroo, Red-necked Wallaby, Common Wombat, Southern Cassowary, Northern Cassowary, Emu, Salmon-crested Cockatoo, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Lesser Bird-of-Paradise, Pig-nosed Turtle, plus some Budgies and a few other birds in a walk-through aviary. It's all rather pleasant and Planckendael-esque!

Here's the walk-through aviary:

A spacious Bornean Orangutan exhibit is farther down the road and in Zone 2 there's long stretches of nothing but paved road going through the jungle. You drive the golf cart along and dodge macaques!

An extremely lush, fair-sized moated exhibit is home to Chimpanzees.

The next stop is a simple pinniped icon on the zoo's map and Konstantin and I figured that we'd park our cart, take a gander at the seals or sea lions, and be on our way to Tiger Valley at the base of the zoo. We were stunned to note that Wildlife Wonderland is not just a single pinniped pool but instead a vast building and set of outdoor exhibits that takes quite a while to tour.

The South American Fur Seal exhibit has elaborate mock-rock and massive murals on all the walls, but it's more functional than natural in appearance. The underwater viewing is pretty cool, with visitors walking through a tunnel, but the tiles on the land seem outdated and I think that there was only one or two seals here.

The zoo has two Pygmy Hippo exhibits, one in Zone 1 and the one below in Zone 2. This one has jungle vines hanging down, wild birds in the treetops, underwater viewing, and even though it's not huge it's quite an aesthetically pleasing environment to see the balletic movements of the animals. You can see a Pygmy Hippo in the center of my photo, but it's an adult and clearly not the internet sensation Moo Deng.

The Spectacled Caiman exhibit looks like a slightly smaller version of the Pygmy Hippo pool from above, and there's also underwater viewing that highlights the impressive depth of the habitat.

Besides the South American Fur Seals, Pygmy Hippos and Spectacled Caiman, this building also houses Small-clawed Otters and all 4 species can be seen via overhead viewing areas and all 4 have underwater viewing. There's also some unidentified turtle species and a whole bunch of fish in a couple of the exhibits in what is essentially an Aquarium complex. None of this is on the Wikipedia write-up or even on the zoo map, but when you have 2,000 acres/800 hectares then I suppose it's easy to forget about an entire section of the zoo. Outside the building are exhibits for Giant Anteaters and Squirrel Monkeys (together), Black-and-white Ruffed Lemurs and Malayan Porcupines. There's also a Golden Jackal exhibit farther down the road that doesn't make it onto the zoo's map either.

Zone 2 culminates with Tiger Valley, which is a long drive from anywhere else and it feels like a tremendous distance of a km or more, but it's difficult to gauge that sort of information when surrounded by oppressive jungle and canine-baring wild macaques. It feels like a totally separate part of the zoo and in many ways it is.

A stunning carving of a Lion and a Tiger, set against a jungle backdrop, is almost jaw-dropping in person and it welcomes visitors to Tiger Valley.

There's a big covered hallway, with loads of windows into feline enclosures along one side, but this is just a small section of the huge complex. There's a long, mock-rock styled set of exhibits elsewhere.

There are multiple Tiger exhibits and this spacious one is for Indochinese Tigers.

Tiger Valley is a long way from the rest of the zoo and it’s a significant distance from any other captive animals. Here can be found only felines, in a series of exhibits containing these 10 species: Tiger (Indochinese & Amur), African Lion, Jaguar, Leopard, Fishing Cat, Serval, Leopard Cat (3 exhibits), Caracal, Ocelot and Jungle Cat.

I don't think that any of the exhibits are world-class, but none are mediocre either. My guess is that there's possibly as many as 16 feline enclosures in Tiger Valley, plus the Lion and Tiger exhibits in Zone 1 near the front of the zoo, to give KK Zoo a whopping 18 cat exhibits. They are all of a decent standard and I know of feline enthusiasts who would probably spend all day in this zoo-within-a-zoo area. Behind the scenes is a Clouded Leopard breeding centre that works in conjunction with Nashville Zoo and Smithsonian’s National Zoo in the United States. Khao Kheow Open Zoo has had phenomenal success with Clouded Leopards, with 55 births just between 2002 and 2015!

You can see a melanistic Jaguar lying beneath the wooden platform.

Tiger Valley is a terrific end to Zone 2 and one thing I enjoyed seeing was the now abandoned Tiger Show complex. There's no Tiger cubs to pet here, no drugged big cats, no juvenile Tigers being walked around on leashes (which I'd see later in the trip), and instead just a LOT of feline exhibits and none of the 'entertainment' that was prevalent at other facilities.

Here's the dilapidated arena:

Up next: Part Three of my Khao Kheow Open Zoo review, which will see me complete my analysis of Thailand's best zoo.

 

[Flat headed cat]

When we visited, there was also a section of the road with an exhibit for Large Indian Civets, although we didn't see any even though we doubled back. We found out later that the last civet had either died or left the zoo. However, we saw a whole bunch of Binturongs in old-fashioned cages that offer up a lot of climbing opportunities.

This is the outdoor area of the old nocturnal animal house. This exhibit has now been dismantled and will be transformed into asian hoofstock exhibit in the future species list
babirusa
nilgai
blackbuck
Dromedary camel
barking deer
fea barking deer
bearded pig
sarus crane

 

[Flat headed cat]

Tiger Valley is a long way from the rest of the zoo and it’s a significant distance from any other captive animals. Here can be found only felines, in a series of exhibits containing these 10 species: Tiger (Indochinese & Amur), African Lion, Jaguar, Leopard, Fishing Cat, Serval, Leopard Cat (3 exhibits), Caracal, Ocelot and Jungle Cat.

This will be gone by May 2025 because it will be demolished to make way for a new animal welfare and breeding center at Khao Kheow Open Zoo. And a new Tiger Valley will be built when we have enough budget. Of course, a new Tiger Valley That's more modern and cheetahs, snow leopards, Asian golden cats, Sunda clouded leopards will be back.

 

[snowleopard]

DAY 3: Sunday, August 4th

Time for the final installment of this review...

Zoo/Aquarium #9: Khao Kheow Open Zoo (Chon Buri, Thailand) - PART 3 of 3

While the focus of my review has generally been on mammals, as KK Zoo has an impressive collection, the zoo also does well with birds. The Bird Aviary is a notable structure in Zone 1, with large hornbill statues at the entrance.

This is a mammoth structure, in line with Scripps and Owens at San Diego Zoo, and Konstantin and I walked through the Bird Aviary during the scorching heat of the afternoon and you cannot see one end from the other.

One area has a cave-like section with a small waterfall, complete with a slick pathway.

This is a huge, world-class aviary and it's difficult to get an image showing the whole thing.

Bird Aviary species list (26 species): Javan Chevrotain, Black-crested Bulbul, Straw-headed Bulbul, Streak-eared Bulbul, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Yellow-vented Bulbul, Alexandrine Parrot, White-crested Laughingthrush, Lesser Whistling Duck, Great Argus, Great Cormorant, Golden-crested Myna, Red-breasted Parakeet, Victoria Crowned Pigeon, Pied Imperial Pigeon, Thick-billed Green Pigeon, Nicobar Pigeon, Siamese Fireback, Silver Pheasant, Golden Pheasant, Indian Peafowl, Red Junglefowl, Black-naped Oriole, Golden-fronted Leafbird, Grey-capped Emerald Dove and Zebra Dove.

Outside of the Bird Aviary can be found a number of sizeable aviaries. They are old-fashioned, functional structures but offer up quite a bit of space for their occupants.

Species in the aviaries near Bird Aviary (7 species): Rhinoceros Hornbill, Oriental Pied Hornbill, Wreathed Hornbill, White-crowned Hornbill, Great Hornbill, Brahminy Kite and Black Kite.

This is the Great Hornbill aviary:

One rare misstep at this zoo is the small Humboldt Penguin exhibit, located inside a blue tower. The zoo has plans to construct a brand-new penguin exhibit in the future.

The vast Pelican/Milky Stork lake is a thing of beauty with hundreds of birds in the jungle backdrop.

Additional bird species across the zoo (18 species): Humboldt Penguin, Greater Flamingo, Ostrich, Southern Cassowary, Northern Cassowary, Emu, Wreathed Hornbill, Oriental Pied Hornbill, Eclectus Parrot, Blue and Gold Macaw, Scarlet Macaw, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Salmon-crested Cockatoo, Palm Cockatoo, Lesser Bird-of-Paradise, Crested Fireback, Chattering Lory and Budgerigar.

In terms of reptiles and amphibians, the Zoology Discovery Center (shown in Part 1 of my review) contains a bunch of terrariums and it's a pseudo Reptile House without anything too rare or exciting. Near the Two-toed Sloth exhibit is a series of outdoor chelonian enclosures for the following 8 species: Aldabra Tortoise, African Spurred Tortoise, Elongated Tortoise, Alligator Snapping Turtle, South Asian Box Turtle, Southern River Terrapin, Painted Terrapin and Red-eared Slider.

The Two-toed Sloth was just outside of arm's reach (on the left).

Aldabra Tortoise exhibit:

A gorgeous Tomistoma exhibit:

For mammals that haven't been mentioned yet, there's an area with gibbons near the front of the zoo with the apes hooting and hollering up in the treetops. The zoo even has wild Pileated Gibbons and it's a blurring of captivity in this zone as the gibbon islands are very natural-looking.

Capybaras are rock star animals in Southeast Asia, often given prominence in zoos.

I'm not sure how many zoos in the world allow the feeding and petting of Burmese Brow-antlered Deer. The zoo also has the Thai subspecies.

Mammal species list (64 species): Asian Elephant, White Rhino, Common Hippo, Pygmy Hippo, Malayan Tapir, Giraffe, Plains Zebra, Banteng, Gaur, Eld’s Deer, Hog Deer, Sambar Deer, Barasingha, Lesser Mouse-deer, Aoudad, Chinese Serow, Mainland Serow, Southern Red Muntjac, Gemsbok, Common Eland, Blue Wildebeest, Nyala, Blackbuck, Tiger (Indochinese & Amur), African Lion, Jaguar, Leopard, Fishing Cat, Serval, Leopard Cat, Caracal, Ocelot, Jungle Cat, Golden Jackal, Bat-eared Fox, Spotted Hyena, Small-clawed Otter, Giant Anteater, Meerkat, Malayan Porcupine, Two-toed Sloth, Common Wombat, Koala, Red Kangaroo, Red-necked Wallaby, Sun Bear, Asiatic Black Bear, Red Panda, Binturong, Bornean Orangutan, Chimpanzee, Siamang, White-cheeked Gibbon, White-handed Gibbon, Pileated Gibbon, Red-shanked Douc Langur, Squirrel Monkey, Common Marmoset, Margarita Island Tufted Capuchin, Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur, Ring-tailed Lemur, Bengal Slow Loris, South American Fur Seal and Lyle’s Flying Fox.

Khao Kheow Open Zoo has around 50 bird species on show to the public, more than 60 mammal species, and perhaps 35 reptile/amphibian species, showcasing a well-rounded collection set amidst a thick, lush jungle. On his final day in Southeast Asia, while I was spending 24 hours travelling back to British Columbia, Canada, Konstantin went back to KK Zoo for a second visit and he pre-arranged a behind the scenes tour.

There's a long list of species behind the scenes at KK Zoo and I received the following list from @Flat headed cat and so many thanks to that individual for their help. Seeing the species list makes me want to go back to the zoo!

Behind the scenes species list (21 species): Fea’s Muntjac, Thai Brow-antlered Deer, Sika Deer, Prevost’s Squirrel, Black Giant Squirrel, Clouded Leopard, Jungle Cat, Fennec Fox, Smooth-coated Otter, Northern Raccoon, Large Indian Civet, Common Palm Civet, Bear Cuscus, Prairie Dog, Patas Monkey, Dusky Langur, Southern Pig-tailed Macaque, Stump-tailed Macaque, Black-headed Ibis, Woolly-necked Stork, Greater Adjutant, Lesser Adjutant, Mallard Duck, White-winged Duck, Black-crowned Night Heron, Purple Swamphen, White-cheeked Pintail, Bar-tailed Pheasant, Lewis’ Silver Pheasant, Lady Amherst’s Pheasant, Eastern Sarus Crane, Red-and-green Macaw, African Grey Parrot, Buffy Fish Owl, Spotted Owlet, Bushy-crested Hornbill, Black Hornbill, Wrinkled Hornbill, Rufous Hornbill and Tickell’s Brown Hornbill.

Fea's Muntjac:

@twilighter

Summary:

Khao Kheow Open Zoo is a brilliant zoological facility, with an incredible setting. To spend hours cruising around on a golf cart wasn't an issue, as long as one concedes that the hundreds of Crab-eating Macaques rule the place. The zoo has more than 60 mammal species on show and 85 mammal species in total, in exhibits that are almost entirely above average in quality. The African Savanna, Common Hippo enclosure, the two bear exhibits, the Banteng/Gaur hillside combination, the Australian zone and Tiger Valley (10 feline species) are genuine highlights. Other than the cultural acknowledgement that the zoo chains its bull elephants, it's difficult to complain much about any of the mammal complexes.

The Bird Aviary is massive and world-class and the zoo has a series of smaller aviaries around the grounds that are all worthwhile and often with rarities. The penguin building is an eyesore, but that's getting rectified in the future. Even the outdoor reptile and amphibian exhibits are terrific, with jungle in all directions and the opportunity to see wild primates in abundance is a joy at this zoo.

Khao Kheow Open Zoo is Thailand's best zoo and one of the superior zoos of Southeast Asia. It's apparently come a long way in the last decade or so, with several inferior exhibits now gone. Being one of the largest zoos on the planet, it's a necessity to take a personal vehicle or a rented golf cart into Zone 2, and even Zone 1 is quite a bit of walking. I really do think that if KK Zoo was compared to the hundreds of North American zoos I've visited, it would be in the top 10. The setting is enormously appealing to me, as I enjoy warmth and having wild, enormous monitor lizards or geckos or the ubiquitous macaques adds to the flavour of a zoo visit. Anywhere with at least 5 exhibits for Red-shanked Douc Langurs gets a thumbs up from me.

We saw two wild monitor lizards at KK Zoo:

There's even a macaque waiting for its turn on the kiddie slide!

The itinerary so far:

DAY 1: Friday, August 2nd

1- Bangkok Snake Farm (Bangkok, Thailand)
2- Peuan Deratchan Mini Zoo (Bangkok, Thailand)
3- Bangkok Butterfly Garden (Bangkok, Thailand)
4- Pata Zoo (Bangkok, Thailand)
5- Sea Life Bangkok Ocean World (Bangkok, Thailand)

DAY 2: Saturday, August 3rd

6- Wildlife Rescue Center No. 1 (Nakhon Nayok, Thailand)
7- Sriayuthaya Lion Park (Nong Khanak, Thailand)
8- Lopburi Zoo (Lopburi, Thailand)

DAY 3: Sunday, August 4th

9- Khao Kheow Open Zoo (Chon Buri, Thailand) 3-part review
10- ??
11- ??
12- ??

 

[cornu aspersum]

The vast Pelican/Milky Stork lake is a thing of beauty with hundreds of birds in the jungle backdrop.

Are the birds flight-restricted?

 

[Jorbe]

These animals are part of the forests of Asia Khao Kheow Open Zoo is probably the only zoo where you can see Chinese serow and mainland serow in the same zoo.

Can you give more information about this? I photographed the Indochinese serows (C. maritimus) in their own exhibit. I did also see one serow in this flying fox aviary, but I assumed that it was of the same species. You are suggesting that this animal was a Chinese serow (C. milneedwardsii)?
It did not have any brown higher up than the knees, which does not match the description of the species. It could also not be the Sumatran serow (C. sumatraensis) because those are completely black. Thanks in advance for clarifying this!

 

[Flat headed cat]

Can you give more information about this? I photographed the Indochinese serows (C. maritimus) in their own exhibit. I did also see one serow in this flying fox aviary, but I assumed that it was of the same species. You are suggesting that this animal was a Chinese serow (C. milneedwardsii)?
It did not have any brown higher up than the knees, which does not match the description of the species. It could also not be the Sumatran serow (C. sumatraensis) because those are completely black. Thanks in advance for clarifying this!

From the examination of the species through blood sampling, it was found that the serow in the flying fox cage was a Chinese serow. After studying the information of the Zoological Park Organization of Thailand, we have a plan to manage the serow population We have clear genetic testing. Chiang Mai Zoo will be responsible for breeding Chinese serow, while Khao Kheow Open Zoo will breed mainland serow But there is also a surplus population that cannot be reproduced.

 

[Flat headed cat]

Are the birds flight-restricted?

These birds were released back into the wild 40 years ago and are still circling the Khao Kheow Open Zoo.

 

[birdsandbats]

These birds were released back into the wild 40 years ago and are still circling the Khao Kheow Open Zoo.

So they're wild birds then, not zoo animals?

 

[ralph]

Those are not milky storks but painted storks, a species that is not exactly rare in Thailand, so I wouldn't be surprised if there are wild animals on the zoo grounds.

KKOZ looks really impressive. I do now somewhat regret not visiting it in 2023, but I did opt to go whale-watching instead which was not a bad option either. Choices...

 

[Flat headed cat]

So they're wild birds then, not zoo animals?

It's a wild bird now.