A Day at the Zoo

A long time ago I wrote a blog about the animals in Cambodia. Since then I have had two pets, that have both died. But I have finally decided that if pets die so easily, I will not take the pain. So, my mom, Janaya and friends went to a Cambodian zoo, Phnom Tamao Zoo, where we saw lots of animals. We took a tuk-tuk 1 hour out of the city so the zoo was in the country. It was much a nicer than I expected. This zoo was started as a refuge center for animals hurt in accidents and illegally trapped. The animals were very healthy and had large cages, many of them right in the woods.

First, we went into a place where you could walk right amongst the animals. There were monkeys, deer and big birds (like herons and pelicans). Some very small deer and crocodiles were in their own separate cages. Another very large cage had some different birds. I really liked the otters and I got to feed them some fish. The zoo had a very large group of moon bears which had large cages with all sorts of climbing equipment.

For lunch, we sat and rested on a platform and in hammocks while a stir-fried chicken dish was prepared for us. Even though we had packed sandwiches and snacks, this is how the Cambodians would eat on a day at the zoo.

I liked the elephants the best because they were not in their cages and were taking a bath in the woods. We had to hike a short trail to see them, but then we were really close. The baby elephant had been hurt in a trap and had an artificial leg.

At the end of the day, we walked through the first exhibit again and saw all the animals being fed. The monkeys, the warthogs and the birds all ate their fish together. It was very interesting.

Acacia