The Dusit Zoo in Bangkok officially opened in 1938 and despite its age its actually a very good zoo. I would say that it is easily the second-best zoo in Asia, and there are many things there that compare more than favourably with the more famous Singapore Zoo (not least that most of the enclosures are larger!). Singapore appears to have more money so it looks a bit flasher and there is more vegetation, but Dusit still stands up well in the comparison. I last visited here in 2006 and surprisingly for an Asian zoo (where things tend to stand still, getting neither better nor worse) I saw many instances of improvements in the last few years. The nocturnal house, which on my last visit I liked a lot for the amount of room given to its inhabitants but which I also criticised for the bare concrete floors and lack of furnishings, now has substrate or leaf-litter in almost all exhibits as well as branches etc. The reptile house still looks very good, with larger terrariums than seen in most zoos. There are what I believe are new exhibits scattered around the zoo, especially in the African area. A further improvement for the visitor is the massively-increased amount of signage, not just because they provide more information (much of it on a conservation theme), but they are also all now bilingual (in Thai and English) whereas there used to be just Thai ones. Some few things I can still criticise are the bird aviaries on Bird Island which aren’t bad but they are glass-fronted and situated in a manner that makes viewing and photography difficult with the reflections. The monkey cages look quite unpleasant, being bars and concrete but there’s no denying the success of their breeding programme for douc langurs of which they are very proud (I believe they have 25 of them in several troups – I have photos of the various douc signs which I’ll upload later). The cat cages are also fronted with bars, but heavily planted inside (and much larger than the Singapore Zoo equivalents). In fact many of the cages are now quite well planted, even the gibbons and sun bears, quite a difference to my 2006 visit. Really the Dusit Zoo is almost an aberration in Asian zoos – one that is not only good but that is actively getting better! A return trip in another three or four years may well provide even more surprises.
I would love to see one of those! I've seen Fea's muntjac at Chiang Mai (in 2006) but Dusit only had the common muntjac when I was there (in 2006 and 2009). I don't remember Phayre's leaf monkey either but they may have been there and I just missed them. Look like I'll have to go back again!!
