We left Khao Yai at 7 in the morning and traveled 3.5 hrs to Chon Buri and the Khao Kheow Open Zoo. The clouded leopard captive breeding program is located on the zoo property and operated partially by the Smithsonian Institution and Nashville Zoo.
The entrance to the zoo.
The clouded leopard facility is also working with fishing cats, a rare species in southern Thailand.
My friend Bill Wood (left) is the director of the program and gave us a detailed behind the scenes tour of the facility.
Here Bill is giving interpretation inside one of the clouded leopard cages.
The animals in this cage were born in January this year. We had close personal encounters with the cats, but we have been asked not to post them on social media. So, your students will have to show them to you first hand. If you get a photo otherwise, please don't post it on Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Clouded leopards are arboreal (tree dwelling); thus, their tails are exceptionally long to aid in balance.
Here is the grouping front of the clouded leopard facility. One of the students commented that her life is now complete.
On the following morning (Jan 6), we took the first flight from Bangkok to Phuket. Phuket is a big exotic vacation destination for eastern Asia.
From Phuket, we took the 11:00 ferry to Phi Phi.
Raechel, Shanon, Mikayla, Macy, and Shae on the back of the ferry.
No comments:
Post a Comment