Malaysia's A'Famosa animal-friendly safari
Liz Price
KUALA LUMPUR
Sunday, July 15, 2007
I FELL in love with the otters, with their engaging cries, which sounded like "feed me, feed me". As I approached their enclosure they stood up on their hind legs and looked so appealing as they watched me closely to see if I had food for them. Once they realised I was empty handed they strolled off, but as I walked around the pen, another pair performed the same trick. I really wished I had a few fish in my pocket for them.
These small-clawed otters are the smallest of Malaysia's otters and are found in coastal estuaries, rivers and ponds.
I was in the A'Famosa Animal World Safari, in Melaka, some two hours' drive from Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.
This 150 acre park provides an opportunity to see animals in their enclosures without the restriction of bars and cages. There are several attractions in the Animal World, my favourite being the Walk-Thru area.
Here there are a variety of animals in open enclosures so it's quite easy to take good photos. The birds include flamingos, pelicans, ducks and turkeys, as well as peacocks which are free to roam. One male was showing off and displaying his splendid tail.
The mammals are mostly imported, the only really local ones being the water buffalo, porcupine and tapirs. I've seen porcupine in the wild, but here it was good to see them at close quarters and see their clusters of quills. The tapir is the symbol of the Malaysian Nature Society. One came right up to the fence and I was able to touch its elongated proboscis, but it was sad to see both animals covered in a number of wounds and sores. The tapir is unusual in that it has four toes on the front feet but only three on the hind.
There are goats, North American raccoons, and some thin looking ponies. Most of the mammals had bare earth in their enclosures, only rabbits seemed to have the luxury of grass.
I was amused to see one of the camels drinking water, when reputedly they can go for days without drinking. Admittedly they had small humps, so maybe living in the tropics they don't bother to store water when it is readily available. As they only had one hump, they are Dromedary or Arabian camels. There is an area for rides on elephants, ponies or camels this is the only camel riding place in Malaysia. You can also buy sugar cane to feed the elephants and thereby gain good luck.
Beyond the food court and restaurant is the jetty where you can take a motorised barge to Monkey Island. This is a tree covered islet housing various species such as local macaques and gibbons, as well as squirrel monkeys and capuchins from South America. Peafowl, chickens and squirrels also share this island habitat.
The chicken farm is home to 80 species of imported chickens including some rare species, and acts as a hatchery. There are information boards as well as a display of the different eggs. I was saddened to see a few dogs also on display in the chicken farm, looking very miserable.
The resort claims to be home to more than 100 species of animals, however I didn't see any signs of the tigers, lions, giraffes or zebras. There is a selection of shows at various times throughout the day. These include the parrot circus, bird show, multi animal, elephant and Wild West shows. You can see an orang utan that plays golf, a cycling elephant and a smiling buffalo. Take a souvenir home and have your photo taken with some animals outside the entrance a baby elephant and orang utan await you, and inside by the food stalls there are macaws and a tiger cub. For those feeling more lazy, you can go for a safari truck ride around the complex.
The Brunei Times
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Source URL:
http://www.bt.com.bn/en/en/classification/life/travel/2007/07/15/malaysias_afamosa_animal_friendly_safari
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