A Day at Avilon Zoo

I have sorely neglected this blog.  It's time to remedy that.

This week is the start or our older daughter's sem break from school.  I was told that some schools do not have week-long breaks anymore, but allow for only 1-2 days off instead during this season.  It's quite fortunate then that our daughter's school allowed them two weeks!  My husband and I then filed for a week-long leave as well.  Hurray!

The ever-present questions these days are, of course, "What do we do?" and "Where do we go?"

We initially planned to travel to other regions in the country.  However seeing that our daughter had recently just recovered from a bout with bronchitis, we deemed it more prudent to stay closer to home and take road trips here and there.

Late Saturday night we decided to go the following day to Avilon Zoo.  Which is in Montalban (now Rodriguez), Rizal.  And we would be coming from Batangas.  How's that for a spur-of-the-moment trip?

So Sunday morning we packed some snacks and water, and hied off -- hubby, daughter and I.  We did not bring our littlest angel this time, as she was prone to motion sickness on long drives.  When she's a bit bigger, she'll surely enjoy coming along, just like her sister!

We surprisingly had an easy time going there -- in large part due to hubby's exceptional navigational skills!  It was a leisurely drive for the most part, except for the hair-raising driving evident within the Quezon City Memorial Circle and its environs.  City driving is indeed very stressful.

We arrived at Avilon before 11 in the morning.  The sun was already high up, although there were darker banks of clouds in the horizon.  This was our first sight of Avilon:

I found the ark quite an apt metaphor indeed.

While purchasing our tickets, the staff at the ticket counter told us that they did not have maps available.  I thought that was a bit strange, but anyway, we were told that the footpaths were easy to follow and that we woudn't get lost.  We did not opt for a guided tour, but instead chose to follow our feet (and our daughter's proddings) for our meanderings.

At the entryway near the canteens, I snapped this photo of a pavilion overlooking a pond.  I just liked how the reflection was captured in the still water.

The little girl got quite excited and was raring to go at this time.

I noticed quite a lot of small, quirky-colored birdhouses in the zoo, which was quite appropriate as the name "Avilon" was coined by the owner Mr. Jake Gaw from two French words -- "aves" (birds) and "lon" (land), so Avilon actually means "Land of the Birds".

The little angel was quite fascinated with all the fauna we encountered in the zoo.  Big and small, winged and hoofed, feathered and furred -- she was entranced!

She actualy trailed these ducks walking in single file.

Then we saw this peaceful little cascade of water...

... and some colorful koi which just clamored for the fish food we sent their way!

There were numerous paths and passageways.

I was waiting for this golden pheasant to do a full frontal so I could snap away.  I eventually had to sette for this shot instead.

There were hamsters and bunnies just waiting to be fed.

I've read that tortoises are among the longest-living animals on earth, surviving upwards of 100 years! This tortoise looked positively ancient -- I wonder how old it realy is? Think of the stories it could tell...

We found the deer enclosures quite serene.  I was lucky enough to get this shot of 2 deer seemingly nuzzling each other, and another one of a deer at rest in the shade.

The sweltering day seemed very conducive to naps.  Just have a look at this slumbering pygmy hippopotamus!

I wonder what this calesa was doing here?

The orangutans were pretty calm, with the patriarch sitting quietly observing the strange creatures who kept on pointing black boxes with flashes of light at them.  The matriarch seemingly was deep in thought.

The Philippine eagle owl was majestic.

Seeing the Persian leopard within the confines of a barred cage seemed so incongrous for such a proud beast.

I was able to take this (flash-free) photo of the macaques through the looking glass. One of them had a frog in its grip and appeared to be toying with it -- prior to having it for a snack, perhaps?  The smaller macaque was attempting to grab the frog away, to no avail.

The little girl wanted to look at the Arapaimas, which are considered as "living fossils" and are some of the largest freshwater fishes in the world.  They are native to the South American waters of the Amazon basin.  The caretaker at the arapaima area gave us some fresh chicken heads (plucked and cleaned, and provided along with plastic gloves, thank goodness) to toss into the waters.  Our daughter eventually passed on the chicken heads to Papa, as she said they were "too squishy and cold" for her.  We could hear the loud slapping of fish bodies and tails as they jockeyed for position to get at the chicken heads.

While walking along the tree kangaroo enclosure, we came upon this snake on the ground.  Luckily we saw it just in time, otherwise we might have stepped on it!

We came upon tha Malayan tapir at rest.  This is the only one of the 4 species of tapir that is native to Asia.  It's white saddle makes it an easily distinguishable creature.

The ostrich was busy pecking at something on the ground.  The lack of feathers on its hind parts seemed to me a bit out-of-whack.  Notice the "plucked" look?

The crocodile enclosures were a source of fascination and caution for us.  Who wouldn't be alarmed at the sight of all those sharp teeth peeking out?  We also saw how these reptiles looked like underneath the water while their beady eyes jutted out of the surface.

The sight of these turtles swimming in their little pools brought smiles to our faces.  They were just so adorable!  The two turtles swimming side by side were especially a hit with the little one.

This otter seemed to have a pleasant time frolicking in the water.

These lizards appeared to have had quite a good time sunning themselves as well.

I couldn't resist this white pigeon on top of a small roofed structure. She looked so calm on its little perch, surveying the world around her.

Amongst all the fauna we saw, there were pockets of shade where lone blooms flourished and gave out little bursts of color.  This mossy, sun-and-shadow dappled rock formation gave me a feeling of balance in nature, a sense of gratitude for all that we see around us.

As we were about to exit the maze of footpaths (and change out of our sweat-drenched clothes), we saw this billboard of the Philippine flag and the words "Pilipinas Kong Mahal". 

With its commitment to providing an environment where animals can be safey seen and appreciated by children and their families, engendering a deeper appreciation for fauna, Avilon Zoo is indeed one place the we can be proud of.