Chiang Mai Night Safari Opened Officially Last Night

[Jai Dee]

Chiang Mai Night Safari opened officially last night.

Chiang Mai Night Safari prepares to welcome tourists from around the world officially, following its opening.

The biggest night safari in the Southeast Asian region opened officially last night. Many private and public sectors attended the ceremony presided over by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. After the zoo’s opening ceremony, a grand dinner was held for the cabinet members who came for a mobile cabinet meeting in Chiang Mai today.

Following the opening ceremony, the participants visited the zoo in both of its zones. Meanwhile, spectacular performances were organized by Chiang Mai province to celebrate the occasion.

About 1.4 million people have visited the zoo since the trial opening last year.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 07 Febuary 2006

[p1p]

"Spectacular Dinner!"

No need to ask what they ate then.....

[lamphun]

"Spectacular Dinner!"

No need to ask what they ate then.....

Various "potted meats".

[Insight]

Reuters has a much better take on it:

Thai PM opens safari park, minus safari animals

By Ed Cropley

CHIANG MAI, Thailand (Reuters) - Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra opened Thailand's biggest safari park on Monday, even though the venture, which has been dubbed a 1.1 billion baht ($28 million) white elephant, remains short of safari animals.

Returning to his home city of Chiang Mai after a weekend of protests calling for his resignation, Thaksin refused to answer questions from reporters about a controversial deal to ship in game from Kenya to populate the "Night Safari" theme park.

Instead, the telecoms billionaire dwelt on his dream of pumping millions of dollars of government money into the sleepy northern city to transform it into a regional rival of Hong Kong or Singapore, which already has a similar attraction.

"It will be like Disneyland, but more focused on nature," Thaksin said at a lavish opening ceremony, before disappearing off into the dark to peer at a gibbon hanging listlessly from a tree and two tigers in a metal cage.

Glossy brochures for the 130 hectare site in foothills outside the city promise an "African savannah" with "harmless animals such as elephants, giraffe and zebras," or a "Predator Prowl" replete with "lions, tigers, Asiatic black bears, hyenas and crocodiles, etc."

However, on closer inspection, many of the advertised exhibits are missing, despite Thaksin himself lobbying the Kenyan government in November for a shipment of more than 100 safari animals in return for "technical assistance."

After an uproar from conservationists, who said it was akin to poaching, Kenya said it would only export "animals that we have in plenty, such as flamingos, wildebeest and the African buffalo."

Nairobi also refused to set a date for any shipment, and ruled out sending animals covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

OUTRAGE

"The idea of poaching wildlife in the jungles and fields of Kenya to put into a small enclosure in northern Thailand for the sole purpose of turning it into a tourist hub is outrageous," said Edwin Wiek of green group Wildlife Friends of Thailand.

Reported comments -- later retracted -- by zoo boss Plodprasop Suraswadi suggesting visitors would be able to dine on tiger, lion, elephant and giraffe, only fueled the outrage against a nation regarded as a hub of the illegal wildlife trade.

The Kenyan controversy is not the first to blight the project, which is just one phase of a planned 4 billion baht "Mega project" cash injection for Chiang Mai.

Plodprasop has been challenged to shoulder financial responsibility for a project crictics say is destined for failure, and local media have reported nearby orchards overrun by Asian elephants whose mahouts have been promised a starring role.

"All our dreams and efforts to make a living from this orchard are completely destroyed," farmer's wife Dawan Saosena told the Bangkok Post. "Now we can't even get inside our orchard because we are afraid of the strangers and their animals."

© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.

[chanchao]

Lovely article.

Anyway, lets build a monorail.

[ThaiPauly]

[

.

"It will be like Disneyland, but more focused on nature," Thaksin said at a lavish opening ceremony, before disappearing off into the dark to peer at a gibbon hanging listlessly from a tree

"

Well he has to find inspiration somewhere

[p1p]

TP - you beat me to the draw with that quote!

"More focused on nature" - Like any walk in the forest, except you have to pay through the nose to do so.

Afraid opinion is unprintable.

[Rinrada]

A ZOO by any other name is still a ZOO

Always remember as a kid (about 5 )being taking round our local zoo (Calderpark)and was amazed at the sight of all these wonderfull wild animals that were of course caged up for their own protection,welbeing and ultimate survival....The lions and tigers especially looked magnificent.....

A later visit (about 5 years on) was still pretty exciting but couldnt help noticing that the gleam that I had seen earlier in "my" lions and tigers eyes was not quite the same as i had experienced before...ah well never mind at least they were safe...

Another couple of years later and the sparkle had dimished.

The big cats were still there pacing up and down in there cages (at least not hungry ...eh) but looking a bit worn ....pacing-up and down-up and down-up and d........I suddenly REALISED that they were NOT Happy....but why? ...they have everything they need..... .lots of food .....havnt they...?

We all knew that even at that age that if were sent back to the likes of Africa and places like that they would never survive...right...

A few years later I went back again (must have been about 15-16 grown up..)and of course had to go for a look ...but the cages were empty..

Hopefully but probably against the odds I wishfully asked the old keeper what had happened to "my" cats forlornly hoping they had been sent back to you know where....

They are deed....died ..kaput....gone......

He then told me (he was very old himself...about 42) that they simple ran out of time....but probabaly died of broken hearts...What.. lions and tigers with broken hearts....no way ...surely.......they had everything.....??...No -No Way.......

On the other hand it starts you thinking ...and maybe in my case I was the one that was in the cage all those years .......they were always going to be...whats the word...FREE...yea ...FREE.....you can lean a lot from animals in a zoo....

Watever happened to Calderpark Zoo...?

Latest update is that in their wisdom the Council and people of the City of Glasgow decided that the days of keeping animals in cages have gone and its now closed ...forever.....took 160 years to realise that but Freedom comes slowly......maybe the Thais will learn something from their new zoo and from our experience....

[Allyt]

"Latest update is that in their wisdom the Council and people of the City of Glasgow decided that the days of keeping animals in cages have gone and its now closed ...forever.....took 160 years to realise that but Freedom comes slowly......maybe the Thais will learn something from their new zoo and from our experience.... "

But have the remaining wildlife 160 years left? I think not!

Why do humans want to cage animals anyway?

Where can I join the group of those who want to close the park?

[penzman]

The could try landing a plane there with the PM on board in order to declare it officially opened even though it's not , like the airport.

[p1p]

A ZOO by any other name is still a ZOO

Don’t dismiss all zoos as the same – for profit – enterprises, aimed only at fleecing as much from as many as possible, without knowledge about their charges or particular regard for them.

Properly designed and managed zoos have their place, and not only to educate and entertain the public. They are an invaluable repository of knowledge and research, not to mention the massively important breeding programmes they organise, most of which goes on well away from the public eye.

Much of this work is funded, at least in part, by their edutainment activities.

The man in charge of the Night Safari has his heart in the right place, he recognises too, that he does not possess the requisite knowledge or experience to care for the animals as he would wish. Unfortunately Khun Plod, his overall boss, is such a #$%#$#! Xenophobe, he will not permit any Farang consultation, even unpaid and even if his revolting crass stupidity is causing constant suffering and almost daily loss of life of the wildlife under his charge.

I have a lot of time for those who are trying their best under such difficult conditions. I would like to feed Mr Plod slowly, a piece at a time, to some of the small carnivores there. Perhaps he might learn something as his genitalia are being nibbled on, but I doubt it.

[Ricardo]

Lovely article.

Anyway, lets build a monorail.

A recent B48million-study by CMU proposed a new transport link, exact technical-details yet to be determined, from the new conference-centre to the centre of town and on to (you've guessed it) the Night Safari.

Yesterdays' spoof-suggestion becomes todays' real-life proposal, which becomes next years' foreign-financed mega-project, which becomes the next national white-elephant. TiT .

[khall64au]

.

fate in Thailand remains unknown for animals

Green light on animal capture angers international animal welfare groups

Coastweek - - The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) is concerned to learn that the Kenyan Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife is reported to have ordered the Kenyan Wildlife Service to begin capturing wild animals for export to a Thai zoo.

The move follows the expiry of a 60 day High Court injunction today (16 February 2006) granted to WSPA Member Society the Kenya Society for the Protection and Care of Animals (KSPCA) and the Community Based Organisations network (CBO) preventing shipment of the animals to the Chiang Mai Night Safari.

The groups have now taken the matter back to court but it will not be heard until March 8, 2006.

"Animals born in the wild are inherently terrified of the close proximity of humans and will suffer stress and possible death if they are taken from the wild, incarcerated and transported over long distances," said Dr Nick de Souza, a consultant for WSPA Africa.

He added: "Even if they do survive the journey their fate in Thailand remains unknown."

National and international opponents lobbying the Thai and Kenyan Governments to stop the transfer have suggested that the animals selected for export could be provided by other captive facilities in South-East Asia rather than being sourced from the wild.

WSPA believes such a tragic ill-considered decision would give precedence to further capture of wildlife for international trade and urges the Kenyan government to stop what it considers an unnecessary and inhumane transfer of animals.

http://www.coastweek.com/2907-46.htm

[The Dan Sai Kid]

Lovely article.

Anyway, lets build a monorail.

A recent B48million-study by CMU proposed a new transport link, exact technical-details yet to be determined, from the new conference-centre to the centre of town and on to (you've guessed it) the Night Safari.

Yesterdays' spoof-suggestion becomes todays' real-life proposal, which becomes next years' foreign-financed mega-project, which becomes the next national white-elephant. TiT .

I guess they could run a few boats up the canal - actually, when I think about it - that's a great idea. Can I have 48 million baht too please?