Monday, January 2, 2017

Kiddie Adventure: Zoobic Safari

There’s something about tigers that make them look so majestic. I have always wanted to have one as a pet, which we all know is not possible unless you’re from an extremely affluent family who has a private zoo. And since I’m far from being part of the top 100 richest of the rich, I’m fine with just watching these beauties from afar. But a fun trip to Subic made my dream of close encounter with my favorite furry friends a reality. Well, sort of. 

Hello, Zoobic Safari!
R and I decided to pass by Zoobic Safari on our way to Bataan and use the vouchers we got from Metro Deal slashing the entrance fee from PHP545 down to PHP298 each. 
At first, we were worried that the place was closed due to the heavy rain but were relieved upon seeing the almost packed parking lot. I went down first to check if the zoo was indeed open and if they accept our vouchers that day. And when everything was set, I signalled R to go down and bring another umbrella with him as we would be soaking wet if we were to share one umbrella. 
After securing our tickets and applying mosquito repellant lotion, we went straight towards the entrance of the zoo which greeted us with a gift shop and several photo op areas with a huge snake, an orangutan and a tiger. 
A couple of minutes later, our friendly guide called our attention and asked everyone to settle down. We were briefed on what will happen during the tour as well as some reminders addressed to parents. 
And soon, we move to the next area where we witnessed some tribal dance moves. 

The kids did not appreciate this part of the tour as most, if not all, became restless and walked around the bleachers. R and I were impressed though by one of the guys who could bust a move. 
We then moved on to the Serpentarium room where we saw some snakes, iguanas and tortoises. R was fascinated by the huge iguanas. 
I didn’t enjoy staying here though as I’m not fond of snakes. 
Then again, the baby crocodile was cute!
Since Zoobic is huge, we all rode the tram to go to the Tiger Safari to save time and to keep ourselves dry. 
We spotted some white carabaos and ostriches on our way to the most exciting part of the tour. 
We were divided into three groups when we got down from the tram and each group was given the option to buy chicken to encourage tigers to move closer towards the enclosed vehicle. One family from our group decided to buy one whole chicken while the others, us included, were too stingy and opted not to feed the tigers. 
Entering the gated area felt like going inside Jurassic Park. The area was quite bare with only a few trees in the area. The tigers waited in one area, as if they know where the jeep will stop. As soon as ours stopped, the tigers approached and began to growl, asking for chicken. A few even went on top of our jeep, scaring us a bit. 
I was at awe with how beautiful these huge felines are. Despite the growls, I found them very adorable. But there is absolutely no way to convince me to pat them while they growl for food. 

After 5 to 10 minutes of close encounter with the striped fellas, we headed back to where we were picked up and waited for the other groups to finish. While waiting, R and I bought some snacks from the food stalls around the area and watched the hog, which seemed to reside in that area, scare some kids. 
Since it was still raining hard, we just went past the Savannah which had sad looking camels, goats, sheep and pigs and went straight to Croco Loco. And it sure was loco in terms of number!
It was interesting how visitors actions shaped the behaviour of these animals. There were a bunch of crocodiles with their mouths wide open, waiting for food to be thrown at them. Unfortunately, our tour group liked the tigers more than the crocodiles as no one bought food for them. 
And with the rain being consistently wild, we had to skip some of the highlights such as the Forbidden Cave. 

Nonetheless, we had a fun time. It was like being kids again. The rain may have made things harder for us to walk around but it sure made the experience even more memorable. 

Zoobic Safari is located at Group I Ilanin Forest, Subic Bay Freeport Zone. 

No comments:

Post a Comment

Comments or other recommendations? :)