Dusit Zoo, a place for families

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If you’re in Bangkok with your family then Dusit Zoo should probably be pretty close to the top of your list of things to do. As much as I’ve loved checking out the temples and markets that Bangkok has to offer, they really aren’t great for children, they don’t appreciate the history, they don’t care much about getting knock-off Tod’s for a fraction of retail price and they certainly don’t enjoy being carted around in the heat looking at things that are going to be there in 20 years when they might appreciate them a bit more, trust me, I was that kid.

The majesty of Wat Pho’s Reclining Buddha or cacophonous hum of Chatuchak can’t hold a torch to a mission of monkeys swinging around their enclosure from their long furry arms or a line-up of chimpanzees picking flees from each other’s heads. Even the giant tortoises are infinitely more interesting for those still hovering in the single-digit age bracket.

Entry to the zoo is a breezy 100B for adults and 50B for children, this is a pretty good deal considering that the London Zoo is something like £40 for an adult day pass and £30 for a child, and they don’t even have elephant acrobatics! As you enter the zoo from Rama V Rd you’ll see a large enclosure to your left and you might even here thunderous applause if you’ve arrived a bit late, this is where the elephant show is. Now, the elephant is the only mammal on Earth that can’t jump, even dolphins can get airborne, but one thing they can do is handstand, yup, handstand! The elephant show comes right after the Kenya Boys acrobatic show, which we unfortunately missed by an annoyingly small margin so it might be a good idea to check show times before buying the 20B ticket. During the week there are 3 show times; 11am, 1.30pm and 2.30pm and then during the weekend there are 5; 11am, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm and 4pm. We got to chatting with one of the acrobats after the show and he cautioned us against going to the later shows because they aren’t as lively as the earlier ones, on weekends they even skip a couple acts in the fourth and fifth shows.

Walking around the zoo is a great way to spend your afternoon, the enclosures are tastefully done for the most part, although some of them did appear a bit lazy, such as the kangaroo enclosure, where they looked positively bored out of their minds. The others though were all quite nicely arranged, with trees and bushes and little cubbyholes for them to get out of the sun. Unfortunately, we were there at about 2.30 in the afternoon and it was at that time that most of the more exciting, sharp-toothed, roar-producing, fear-inducing animals decided to take a nap. No matter, it was still nice to wander around and take a look at the other, less fearsome, more cuddly animals, like the Asiatic Black Bear, and another, smaller species of bear that looked as though it had lost a fight against a shovel. One strange creature in particular was the Giant Anteater, with its loping stride and strange paw/hand structure. It appeared to walk on its knuckles, ambling around the enclosure. The Giant Anteater has a tongue that can get to two feet in length and only about an inch in width and can eat something like 30'000 insects per day. It was really something, with its big, bushy tail and long snout it didn't look quite right, as if some experiment of nature had gone wrong.

I would strongly recommend going earlier in the day if you want to truly enjoy everything the zoo has to offer. Aside from the elephant show, there is a seal show as and on the weekends there are animal feeding sessions where you get to feed animals like the Bengal Tiger, penguins and giraffes, although the penguin sessions also take place throughout the week. Before going check out the website www.dusitzoo.org for more a more accurate timetable. If you’ve missed a feeding session or one of the shows and have walked around the zoo, you can always take a pedalo out on the lake and cruise on the water for a while.

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Photos

White Tiger
These creatures are absolutely awesome to behold. Such grace and unimaginable power!

Handstanding Elephants
I can't even do a handstand!

Giant Anteater
Now there's a strange creature. It has a tongue of up to 2 feet in length

Hippo!
A lazy hippo floating around

Friends Of The Savannah
A giraffe and a zebra share an enclosure

Comments

[The Mum]

Being 'that' child .....
...... and for all these years I thought you enjoyed being dragged around the sights and shops!! You might have forgotten that you've also been to many a zoo in your travels - especially in India when a willing rickshaw driver would cart you off to the local zoo whilst I immersed myself in a local market - you were a very well-traveled and well-zoo'd kid!!