"Chamsom Crocodile Farm and Zoo has a number of crocodiles of different species as well as other animals

and the facility is surrounded by fruit orchards.

An excellent way to spend the day and experience the indigenous wildlife in Thailand.

Elephant shows 12noon and 3pm Saturday and Sunday.

Admission 40 baht adults, 10 baht children."

Continuing our exploration of the surrounding area, the latest ride took us in the direction of Chansom Crocodile Park and Zoo which we'd seen mentioned on numerous tourist websites.

Getting there was easy, heading south on Sukhumvit #3 towards Chanthaburi, a major intersection with traffic lights

- straight ahead to bypass Chanthaburi and head for Trat/Koh Chang

- turn right on #316 and 7km later you'll be in Chanthaburi at an intersection - right 200m to Tesco-Lotus and the road to Tha Mai and beaches, left and ahead will take you further into the city

- left on #3249 heading inland and after 4km, just after temple, school, gas station you're at Chansom Crocodile Park and Zoo

The bad news - turns out this attraction closed several years ago.

It was fairly obvious on arrival that this was no longer an attraction at all.

Asked at the nearby service station; the woman, when she'd stopped laughing, said it closed years ago, but it was ok to go in and look around.

So in we went, through mature fruit trees, to see rotting/rusted staging area and grass almost 2m tall where I guess the elephant shows were once held.

A slimy green lake about 40 x10m maybe once had crocs for viewing

Making lots of anti-snake noise (does that work?) pushed through the overgrown grass to see what was in the big rusted sheds, started to climb a semi-collapsed wire fence when I saw the water area inside.

Crocs - lots of them, biggest maybe 3 - 3.5m long and very broad/big across.

Worked out they couldn't get to me - unless they had a side-exit, and they were certainly interested in this new visitor (lunch?), with several lurching their way off the bank from their sunbathing and cruising across to near where I was.

Partner by this point was in a panic, she didn't believe me at first when I said to have a look, and had taken off back to the road; I took a few quick pics and left.

She said later it would be the ideal place for if we killed somebody and have to dispose of the body (now I am worried).

There must be another accessway at the back of the sheds, they're being fed - not a skinny one in sight.

So - that's off the things (not) to do list.

*****

Good citizen that I am, came back and Googled for a few tourist websites that featured this place, those that had a feedback option I notified them the zoo was now closed.

TAT Tourism Authority Thailand responded promptly saying they'd look into it, and LaemSing.com a local tourism website responded with a smart: Yeah. The website aint been updated for years either.

Oh well, I tried. And it was a nice day for a ride.

in related news - by coincidence saw this news item last week, follow the link for his claim some Chinese zoos feed live cows to their tigers . . . yum!

Croc farm owner snaps at critics

Friday, 26 August 2011

Siem Reap Crocodile Farm worker Pann Sophany, about to drop a live chicken into a pit full of crocodiles.

Lambasted in the British tabloid press last week for allowing tourists to throw live chickens and ducks to his crocodiles, Siem Reap Crocodile Farm manager Vincent Lim defends his business and says similar practices are occurring in China.

Lim awoke on August 15 to headlines blaring "British holidaymakers throw chickens to be eaten alive by crocodiles at sick tourist attraction" and "ghoulish entertainment sees live birds thrown to their death by shameful, bloodthirsty Brits".

read more

in related news - by coincidence saw this news item last week, follow the link for his claim some Chinese zoos feed live cows to their tigers . . . yum!

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Friday, 26 August 2011

Siem Reap Crocodile Farm worker Pann Sophany, about to drop a live chicken into a pit full of crocodiles.

Lambasted in the British tabloid press last week for allowing tourists to throw live chickens and ducks to his crocodiles, Siem Reap Crocodile Farm manager Vincent Lim defends his business and says similar practices are occurring in China.

Lim awoke on August 15 to headlines blaring "British holidaymakers throw chickens to be eaten alive by crocodiles at sick tourist attraction" and "ghoulish entertainment sees live birds thrown to their death by shameful, bloodthirsty Brits".

You can feed dead chickens to the croc's in Pattaya....

That's amazing that you could just walk in and get that close to the crocs. I guess it never dawned on them that a child could wander inside and... Oh wait, TIT.

I was just in Chanthaburi last week. Really nice part of the country...