Chiang Mai Zoo

Today being a Sunday and with no foreseeable prospect of a roast dinner, we settled on a visit to Chiang Mai zoo.

As the remaining regular reader may remember, we visited the zoo 3 years ago when the lack of pandas was a sore point.

Nevertheless, as you'll be aware, I'm not one to bear a grudge and so we handed over our 350 Baht each and stepped inside.

Let me say at the outset that I'm not normally fan of zoos.  Indeed, I'd prepared several cakes with files in to distribute but was thwarted almost immediately by the zoo's policy of not feeding the animals

Disheartened, but not wishing to end up in a Thai prison, I discreetly disposed of the escape cakes in a bin.

As far as zoos go, Chiang Mai is less Alcatraz and more Kirkham Open Prison. ( In fact a kangaroo managed to break out a couple of months ago without my assistance).

It boasts around 400 species of animals, most of which seemed reasonably cheerful or asleep (although we did witness an otter gang war and a frankly horrifying horned tortoise love triangle)

The zoo park is beautifully landscaped, so much so,  that you can imagine yourself transported into a jungle. (Which must have been something of a surprise for the assorted sheep, goats and Shetland ponies on display)

The big draw of course, and widely advertised is the Panda Exhibit.  We were frankly astonished to find it open and scurried through the winding passageway, (complete with plastic bamboo fronds) keen to clap eyes on the monochromed beasts at last.

Once more blogmates, it was a swizz.

There was a panda enclosure, but as the last panda departed this world in 2023, they'd put cardboard cut-outs up instead......

As for our other favourites, well the orangutan went back to Sumatra earlier this year for 're-education' and, hopefully, freedom and the capybaras have moved into his old compound, where they're flourishing ( perhaps a little too freely).

Oh and of course, this lad was pleased to see us.....