Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden

     I could hardly remember the very first visit i had to Manila Zoo when i was a little kid, i don't even recall what's it like before. Just this afternoon my hubby and I gave our little man a simple treat which also gave me the chance to see the place we used to go to when i was a kid. And for my 5 year old kid and niece who has never been there perhaps this visit was one of the most exciting day for them. We arrived there after lunch. Humidity was extremely high but it was never a problem for the kids. They were more excited to even mind the weather and the scorching heat of the sun. 

     
     As we enter the zoo, on the right side we were welcomed by this adorable mammal. She is Mali, an Asian/Indian elephant . They say Mali is the most popular resident of the zoo. When the two kids saw it they immediately went near it to have a much closer look. It was our first time to see an elephant up close, and I'd say Mali was a beautiful site indeed. But aside from being amazed by her beauty, i also felt sad for her. The fact that she's not on her supposed habitat where she belong somehow is an issue, being alone there is one more thing.

     The next thing we saw were the birds. This time unlike the elephant who was alone on her den,  we saw a number of birds of different species. From parrots, hornbill, eagle, crow, and the owl to name a few. Aside from those birds inside bird cages, some are nesting and flying freely on the trees inside the zoo.

     We pass by this large pond situated in the middle of the zoo, there you'll find little boats that you can rent for 60 pesos. We were not that interested in boat rides, we just took pictures and  moved on to look for other animals to see.

     As we went on walking, we came to see this interesting cat like animal, the Palawan Bear Cat. A sleepy head sluggish hairy thing that seemed to be enjoying some z's on a branch in broad daylight. Well like any other nocturnal animal, they are most active at night. Together with the bear cat was the Phil. Palm Civet.

   

     There were more animals inside, like monkeys, horses and zebras, the Philippine Dear also, ostrich, the hippo that never came up from being submerged under water which made me frustrated. But what even made me more frustrated was the fact that we were not able to see the lions and tigers. I was somehow disappointed because I was hoping for my son to see tigers up close. We did pass by the tigers den but it was empty, and later on found out that they were inside the cages on the restricted area of the zoo, i just have no idea why. Goats we've also seen which Joshua enjoyed feeding with grass and leaves that he picked along the way.

     Finally we came to our last stop, the reptile section. We saw there few species of snakes of different sizes, even the bigger and scary ones. The Philippine Crocodile, Iguana's, and of course the super cute little turtles lined up resting at one side of the pond. 

       From what I read, Manila Zoo serves as one of the educational centers in our country where the viewing public can observe, discover and learn interesting facts about the beauty of fauna and flora. But is it really the beauty of the fauna and flora that the viewing public sees and discovers? or is it the terrible situation, the worst condition of the animals and the place itself? I admit we enjoyed seeing those animals, i did, we all did. But at the same time i also felt guilty. I realized that as i enjoyed seeing those animals, the truth is these animals were not feeling the same way, they look miserable and stressed out on the other hand.


     It's not like i had in mind or wish to put closure to the zoo, in fact i hope my children and grandchildren in the future would still be able to see and enjoy the place and what's in it. I just strongly believe that if  the authorities, the government, and whoever is in charge will do something about it soon, then things would be better for the animals and for the place too. So that in the future the viewing public like me would truly enjoy the beauty of Manila Zoo's Fauna and Flora...guilt free.