This trip, while not a long one in terms of distance is a long ride due to the constant traffic problems here. Under normal conditions perhaps the drive would be an hour but due to macet (traffic jams) it takes about 3 hours to get there. Most of the staff and teachers attended, making the drive in two vans. On the way we were given snacks and, upon finishing the safari drive, we were fed lunch.
Below are links to some of the pictures I took while on the safari drive through the park.
Antelope(?) and Gnu(?)
Wild Boars
Buffalo
Deer
Lions
Llama
Owls
Tiger
It was very interesting to be able to see the animals in this setting and was different from any zoo I'd been to previously. It's hard to say if the animals liked living in such a setting with the constant drone and fumes from the vehicles. But it provided a unique experience that hopefully had a positive impact on the visitors. Indonesia is in dire need of more awareness of nature and the impact that the actions of the people have on all the wildlife here. Many species have already been declared extinct and many more are endangered. Constant, illegal, logging is one of the biggest threats to all wildlife here since, despite laws to protect areas and animals, people at all levels of the populace and government take part in this problem. Newspapers here report of bribes being given (to security guards) by truckers leaving national park areas where no logging is allowed. At the current rate of deforestation it is predicted that some of the forests on certain islands in the archipelago will be gone by 2005. With them will disappear many plants and animals.
After the safari drive and lunch we were allowed to wander about the zoo portion of the park and take in the animal shows and various exhibits. I managed to see a tiger and lion show where two men were in one cage with a lion, two lionesses, and 5 Sumatran tigers. I was quite surprised that they walked away unscathed!
The animals in the zoo portion of the park seemed less than happy with their fare. There was evidence of boredom and gross obesity. Several of the orangutans in their enclosure were morbidly obese. Chimps were lackadaisical, overweight, and certainly not happy. One chimp chose to express his distaste by spitting at onlookers every 30 seconds or so. Fortunately the gap between the chimp and the people exceeded his range.
A pair of dolphins were used in a dolphin show. One was obviously not yet a mature adult and initially refused to enter the performing pool. Even when it finally joined the older dolphin it rarely performed tricks, leaving most tasks to its partner. When not performing the dolphins stay in an adjoining pool that is, perhaps, half the size of the performance pool. From their behavior they didn't seem happy about this. The older dolphin repeatedly tested the gate to the bigger pool, rattling it loudly quite often.
There were two amusing, unannounced, shows at Taman Safari. The first was during the safari itself when I saw a bull elephant walking along with his penis hanging almost to the ground. After we passed I looked back to see he had mounted one of the females. Later, in the zoo, we came upon a similar scene with the proboscis monkeys. One male was mating with a female while another impatiently waited. When the first male finished the second then commenced. Afterwards it appeared the second male didn't like our presence as he moved towards us, postured aggressively, and opened his mouth wide.
Click here to visit Taman Safari Indonesia's website