Lions, Tigers, and Baylor Bears, Oh My!

How We Felt This Morning

Today was a much needed day of rest from our survey work! Kayla and Garrett, here, filling you in on our many fun adventures with exotic animals!
This morning we took a trip over to the Chiang Mai Zoo to experience a different kind of animal encounter than we have at the elephant sanctuaries. This zoo was very different from those we have in the states. It was extremely spread out, with animals inhabiting their own little corners of the property. Unlike zoos at home, we had to drive between the many different areas, some being separated by nearly a kilometer.
While at the zoo, we saw many different animals at the zoo, many of which are quite rare to find at United States zoos. Our first stop was the panda exhibit, which was very isolated from the rest of the animals in the area. We had to go through a long tunnel with panda facts on the walls just to view the black and white bears. The next exhibit over was the big cat section. This zoo had two white lions, some regular lions, Bengal tigers, black panthers, and a jaguar. They even had a station for us to feed the jaguar, which the boys were more than happy to oblige.
To our great amusement, there was a large exhibit for domestic goats right across from the big cats. Though we have seen these creatures on farms many times, we were still very fascinated by them.
Later on, after visiting some sleepy koalas, a giant group of deer, and an elusive orangutan, we were treated by seeing the ONLY Indian rhinoceros in Thailand. It was quite different from the African varieties, displaying a somewhat green tint and a strangely sectioned off body resembling armor.
Next to the rhino were a few gibbons, which were probably Dr. M's favorite part of the whole zoo!
We ate lunch at a ritzy neighborhood café, and headed to a woodcrafting village. The village was full of wooden art, from small statuettes to large dining room tables. Surprisingly, Lohith walked away with only two things, and a full wallet.

Baylor Nation Is Everywhere!

To end the day, we went on a couple of night safaris. While waiting in the main section of the park, we met Timon the meerkat, an albino porcupine, and a couple of iguanas. These were just a taste of what we were about to experience, though! We started with a "Predator Prowl" tour. This took us on a large golf-cart-like vehicle through the jungle to view the many predators in the park. We were able to see hyenas, pumas, lions, sun bears, and three different species of tiger. Between predator exhibits, there were deer and hogs wandering the roads, some of which we were able to pet! The other safari was the "Savanna Safari." When we began, it was getting very dark, so the animals were a little hard to see. On it, we saw goats, bison, deer, kangaroos, emus, rhinos, elephants, wildebeests, kudus, and ostriches. The most exciting part of the drive was the section with roaming zebras and giraffes. They inhabited a very large plot of land, and were very friendly toward us. The giraffes would bend down to look at us in the cart, while the zebras trotted alongside.
We had a great day off and we will be back at Mae Taeng for survey work tomorrow!