L I F E S T Y L E Travel & Adventure
Saturday December 16, 2006
Free and tame
By LIZ PRICE
I FELL in love with the otters’ engaging cries, which sounded like: “Feed me! Feed me!”
As I approached their enclosure, they stood up on their hind legs and looked very appealing as they watched me closely to see if I had food.
Once they realised I came 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 at the A’Famosa Animal World Safari, near Malacca town. This 150-acre (61ha) 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 that are allowed to roam free. One male, being the peacock that he was, showed off and displayed his splendid tail.
The mammals are mostly imported, the only local ones being the water buffalo, porcupine and tapir. I’ve seen porcupine in the wild, but here it was good to see them at close quarters and study 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 snout, 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 also goats, North American raccoons, and some thin-looking ponies. Most of the mammals had bare earth in their enclosures, with only the rabbits seeming to have the luxury of grass.
I was amused to see one of the camels drinking water, since 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, these were clearly Dromedary or Arabian camels.
There is an area for rides on elephants, ponies and 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.
From top: you’ll see all kinds of animals at the A’Famosa Animal World Safari, including camels, racoons and pelicans. —Pictures by LIZ PRICE
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. It also 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, but I didn’t see any signs of the tiger, lion, giraffe or zebra.
To keep guests entertained, A’Famosa holds 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 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, why not go for a safari truck ride around the complex? W
A’FAMOSA RESORT
Jalan Kemus
Simpang Empat
Alor Gajah, Malacca
If you’re taking the highway from Kuala Lumpur, you will need to get off at the Alor Gajah exit.
Operating hours:
Daily (including public holidays), 9am to 6pm
Admission:
Adult (Malaysian): RM35
Adult (foreigner): RM59
Child (Malaysian, height above 3ft-12 years old): RM25
Child (foreigner, height above 3ft-12 years old): RM49
(includes : safari adventure ride & shows) Car park charges: RM3 per entry
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