NopOfficially named the Phnom Penh Zoological Park and Wildlife Rescue Center, most people just call it "the zoo." Located some 25 miles from the city, the zoo is a sprawling collection of indigenous and imported creatures. The reason I went is simple. From the moment I arrived, my grandson Andrew has asked me about the wildlife in Cambodia. Since then I have been trying to answer his questions. I figured the zoo was a good a place as any to get some of the answers.
I picked the absolute hottest day in the history of zoos. Sunday was clear, scorching hot, and dry as a bone. From the moment I arrived it was like walking in a furnace. Except for the monkeys which appeared unaffected by the heat, every other beast seemed to be either inside its shelter or lying prone.
When I arrived I was instantly surrounded by young boys, whom I assumed were beggars. Not the case. They were "tour guides," each vying for the opportunity to escort me from area to area and tell me what they knew of the wildlife--for a fee. The last guy standing (I tried to ignore them for as long as I could) was Nop. I'm glad he stuck it out. Nop was a walking encyclopedia of Cambodian wildlife.
Although Nop's English was good, at times he could tell that I didn't understand and would rephrase or repeat what he had said. "Dis one may-a; dis one da femay-a; and dare da buy-bee." He warned me about the "very very dangerous one" (an overactive gibbon), and he encouraged me to skip the "same, same" (as there were multiple cages of the same creatures; for example deer).
My favorite exhibit was a blind gibbon which has learned to stick his arms through the chain link fence in hopes that someone will give him bananas (which are for sale close by). He was very old, according to Nop, and extremely gentle. The zoo featured mongooses, tigers, and elephants. We saw leopards, crocodiles, and pythons. There were cages of eagles, bats, and minah birds (Nop said, "Minah can talk but Cambodia not speak English.") Of particular interest was the collection of bears; black bears from Japan and brown bears and Sun bears from Cambodia. According to Nop, Sun bears are hunted by Cambodians and their paws chopped off for soup and to make medicine. The zoo has approximately 150 Sun bears in its collection.
Visiting the zoo was an unforgettable and exhausting experience. I won't soon forget the heat, the wildlife, or my new friend, Nop.
Andrew wants to know how the gibbon's hands felt. "Like, were they soft or scratchy or did he have long nails or did he squeeze you hard? Can you pet his body? Like, his fur?" Also, he wants to know if the bird in the picture is the "talking bird who only says the other language."
ReplyDeleteHi Andrew, The gibbon's hands were rough from years of hanging on tree branches. His fur was stiff and wiry not like a soft kitten's fur. He was blind so he used his hands to search for food but I didn't have anything for him. Yes, the minah bird was the one which spoke Cambodian, called Khmer. Love Granddad
ReplyDeleteAndrew says, "That bird is like a parrot only it's black and there are other kinds of birds that can copy things like if a bird tweets it can copy that. I think it's a mockingbird or a cuckoo bird."
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