CALAUIT SAFARI PARK: What to expect

That scene alone sums up the park. three zebras escaping the scorching sun took shelter in a garage as well as there they stayed next to a rusty, old Pinoy jeepney. It was an intriguing sight, a harbinger of exactly how I would see the location after costs half a day in it.

The land rover we were riding stirred dust across a huge plain where giraffes roamed gracefully, hopping from tree to tree. Zebras bent their necks as they grazed, pulling the lawn off the a lot more moist corners of the island. Africa, I mumbled as our automobile slowed down to halt. A far cry, maybe, however for now this was the closest I might get to an African safari — Calauit Safari Park.

Zebras in my garage. Well, not my garage.
We climbed down to the arid ground as well as Kuya Florante, a caretaker as well as excursion guide, led us under the shade of a gazebo. four giraffes, I counted. They, too, were avoiding the sun as well as were oblivious to our presence, which up until then was believed to be irresistible (wahaha). “They look small,” my buddy Mica remarked while looking at them from afar. however that would modification as soon as they came better as well as dwarfed us. It was the very first time that I got this close to the tallest land animal in the world, as well as it felt like I would break my neck any type of time as I kept looking up to their cute, gentle faces.

“This is Isabel,” said Kuya Florante while rubbing the neck of the biggest giraffe of the lot. The others, he introduced as Miller, Terrence, as well as Mylene. “We normally name them after their sponsors,” he answered when asked exactly how they come up with the names.

Oh hey there there, Isabel.
Miller as well as Terrence.
Feeding the giraffe is allowed here. Our group tried it. I tried it too, believing that there was nothing wrong with it. however now that I’m composing about it as well as after reading about the habits of these animals as well as their connection with the human inhabitants of Calauit, I figured I most likely did a poor thing. perhaps it would be finest for them to not be get utilized to humans as well as for tourists to minimize impact. perhaps feeding them isn’t a great concept after all. The park may be huge sufficient for these animals however it has faced one issue after one more with the years.

Calauit Safari Park covers nearly 3800 hectares. formerly understood as Calauit game protect as well as wildlife Sanctuary, the park was established on August 21, 1976 by presidential Proclamation 1578 issued by president Ferdinand Marcos.

You may be wondering: exactly how did the giraffes as well as zebras get here? That’s simple to response — by boat. One hundred as well as four animals which likewise included six types of antelopes (impala, gazelle, bushbuck, eland, waterbuck, as well as tobi) were brought right here from Kenya. The eco-friendly island was transformed to a savannah — its residents relocated as well as its bamboo forests cleared to supply a appropriate atmosphere for the animals.

The a lot more fascinating concern is: Why? the most typical reason you’re gonna hear is that this was a conservation effort by president Marcos. It is said that when he attended a summit satisfying in the African state, the Kenyan government asked the worldwide Union for Conservation of Nature for help in the conservation of their wildlife. Calauit was Marcos’s response to the call.

Of course, some do not discover this as well convincing. An Inquirer report in 2011 revealed something else: Marcos wanted to introduce a tourism business. Tony Parkinson, a British guy who organized the translocation of animals from Kenya to the Philippines, said, “None of them were endangered… that was all nonsense. We would never have put them on an island like that if they were endangered.” Which one to believe is up to you.

Today, according to Kuya Florante, there are 23 giraffes, 38 zebras, as well as around 1000 Calamian deer on the island today. The antelopes have all died out. The Calamian deer is endemic to Palawan as well as is an endangered types however their population has improved in the park. The male Calamian deer is horned; we only spotted one male of the dozens we have seen that morning.

Ready for adventure!
More zebras! The males have darker stripes.
A female Calamian deer, endemic to Palawan
Camouflage tree, locally understood as Panato
While most animals are complimentary to run around as well as check out the island, there are those that are in captivity. among these are four Philippine crocodiles, three porcupines, two pythons, a civet cat, a wild boar, a sea gull, as well as a number of tortoises. however the giraffes as well as zebras stay the crowd favorites among all animals in the sanctuary.

Crocodilus Mindorensis aka Philippine Crocodile. They are freshwater crocodiles. There are 4 at the sanctuary.
Porcupine, civet cat, wild bearded pig (endemic to Palawan) as well as a pytExmo
A atmosfera (natural, social e até mesmo política) mudou, considerando que Marcos criou Little Africa em Calauit, bem como o tempo não verifica ser amigável ao parque, que está enfrentando vários desafios hoje. Os cortes no plano orçamentário levaram o número de trabalhadores a diminuir de 300 para 30. Os antigos habitantes da Península que foram realocados décadas atrás estão retornando por meio do movimento Balik-Calauit. Além disso, os animais estão em uma extremidade de uma disputa com os residentes.

Com o pessoal do Caluit Safari Park
Quaisquer que sejam as intenções genuínas, uma coisa que permanece exatamente a mesma é que os animais já estão aqui. Nós os trouxemos aqui. Nós os adotamos. “Todos os animais aqui estão os filipinos agora”, compartilhou Kuya Florante, descrevendo que os indivíduos originais importados da África estão todos mortos, deixando para trás os filhos, que nascem em Calauit. O mínimo que podemos fazer é cuidar deles.

Como chegar aqui: de Manila, voe para o aeroporto de Busuanga. Se o seu hotel estiver em Coron, você pode levar uma van/ônibus para a cidade de Coron. Aqui, há várias opções disponíveis. Você pode participar de uma excursão em grupo usada pelas agências de viagem, geralmente em torno de P2500-3000 por cabeça. Se você é um grupo enorme, pode fretar um barco pessoal para Calauit (que também pode levá-lo a outras ilhas lindas, incluindo Black Island) para P9300 para 1-4 PAX ou P10.400 por 5-8 PAX.
Taxa de entrada Calauit: P200 para filipinos, P400 para estrangeiros
Uso de Land Rover: P1000 (dividido por exatamente como muitos de vocês estão no grupo)

Mais dicas no YouTube ⬇️⬇️⬇️

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