Ark Avilon Zoo

Richard and I took the day off on July 14 for Neil's birthday.  Between having a party and just spending time with our son, we chose the second.  We took him to Ark Avilon to see the animals.  Our fist visit was in March 2010, before he was two.  It's high time we came back for more close encounters with the animals.

Ticket prices: P300 for adults and P200 for children below 3.5 ft.

There are large animals in cages located on both sides of the building on the first level (tigers, puma, sun bear, gibbon).

Birds

Close encounters

There are 2 fish tanks also on the first level.  One has koi and the smaller one has the 'doctor fish'.  You can immerse your feet in the water with the doctor fish and they will eat your dead skin cells.  It was my first time to try this and I didn't stay long.  It tickles!=)

On the second level are more birds, reptiles, and farm animals that you can feed.  Neil and I fed the hamsters.  One carrot is P20.

Goats, pigs and sheep are on the second level.

I think one of Ark Avilon's highlights is Jenny, the orangutan.  You can take pictures with her.
 

It's a good thing to go there on a weekday.  There's very few people around and you can be at a more relaxed pace.  One thing to watch out, especially if you're bringing kids, are the mosquitoes.  It's a bit dark inside so you can't see them.  We noticed that Neil had several mosquito bites only when we came out. :(

Although there are fewer animals now compared to last year (no more tapir, one big fish tank is empty), it's still a good place to visit and have children see animals up close.  The location is very accessible, too, which is always a plus.


Before I end, this zoo business is controversial right now, especially with the clamor from some groups to close the Manila Zoo.  We can always argue that animals are better left in their natural habitats but I also appreciate facilities that allow us to experience them up close and with minimal risk.  I guess the middle ground is to keep only the zoos that take very good care of the animals...

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