Elephants, Deer, Snake & a Bear
Trip Start
Jun 07, 2010
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113
126
Trip End
Dec 18, 2010
Taman Negara National Park, Malaysia
Monday, November 29, 2010
After 2 hours driving we got to a small animal park they called Deerland. Our guide seemed to speak little English and would only appear to point us around now and again so most the time we didn't know what was going on quite funny.
We entered a deer enclosure where we fed deer some potatoe slices, this was mildly entertaining but not as good as the sheep & cows in NZ.
Then we followed the circuit round to see some other animals. Me and Lou were trying to keep away from the large group of tourists in front we don’t like being in the large crowds as they all try to take photos of everything that moves get in the picture with it then not really care about the animal what it is where it’s from etc, they just get a picture then move to next opportunity in a pushing rush.
We was stood alone outside a pen belonging to a big Samba Deer Malaysia’s largest deer, we was commenting to each other how big it was, then a keeper appeared and said 'come in’ he just opened the gate and let us have a stroke, love how relaxed about rules less developed countries are.
A keeper had a snake called Jessie that was a 4 year old a constrictor I think a bull python. Louise held it round her neck for a bit very brave.
Then as we walked round the park a bit more we see a keeper in an open pen with a black bear (sun bear) letting the public up close.
We couldn’t believe they were letting us near a bear; we had a little stroke and let him lick some condensed milk off the palm of our hand amazing, to get up so close to this powerfull animal.
We then went for a very small lunch of chicken fried rice at one of many random small roadside cafes’ you see all the time. We then went to the elephant sanctuary.
We watched a good small film about the sanctuaries efforts to rescue these bears from the ever shrinking jungle.
Then we headed out to an area where we believe ‘volunteer’ workers bought out some elephants.
We fed a couple elephants some bananas and nuts this was great fun their trunks at the tip are 2 nostrils with a finger like muscle on the tip there surprisingly dextrous, we petted them so much and I gave his big tongue a rub.
We then as a pair got to have a little ride round an elephants back.
Then they bathed the elephants in the river.
We got on the back of an elephant standing in the river and it playfully rolled over on its side so we 4 people on its back all fell in the river. Then we splashed about with them for a small time.
All the interaction with the elephants was great fun and I guess only at places like this can you do this kind of thing up close as paying public.
We then headed 2 hours north east to Taman Negara National Park where we are staying for 2 nights.
Had some dinner and went on a night safari walk through the jungle.
We got on a little boat to cross the river to the national park we see tree snakes, stick insects, spider, black scorpions, wild deer, wild boar, and crickets. It was very noisy with the sound of frogs & crickets, was very good.
