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Mar/Apr 2015
There are numerous ways to explore
this safari area. The standard method
is the Safari Journey that is included in
every admission package, using a safari
truck to drive through each section and
observe the various creatures. If that
doesn’t bring you close enough to them
then an Elephant Safari might be for you.
On the back of the pachyderms you
explore a smaller area of the park, but
you can go ‘off-road’ and find yourself
almost within touching distance of
game, zebra and rhinos. You might also
get involved in an elephant water fight.
The only issue with safaris during the
day is that animals are usually pretty
dormant. Far more sensible than homo
sapiens who rush around all the time,
most wild animals chill out and relax
waiting for the world to cool down a
bit. And that’s why the Night Safaris are
so popular. These take place in a truck
more like a cage, allowing visitors to feed
the animals through the bars. Carrots
are the standard meal of the day and
various game, zebra and elephants
3. Mynah crisis: The
beautiful birds are subject
to conservation efforts
4. Nice to meet you:
Hang out with the
delightful binturongs
www.essential-bali.com
chomp them down with alacrity. Carrots
aren’t going to cut it for the carnivorous
tigers, however. Nor are they to be
trusted to average members of the
public so only the guides are allowed
to feed them. Knowing what’s coming,
they jump on top of the cage and
seeing a tiger padding around a few
inches above your head, within touching
distance if you were that way inclined
(don’t be), is a thrilling experience.
Those tigers are of the instantly
recognisable orange and black striped
variety, but in a partial recreation of an
ancient Indian fort called Ranthambore
are a couple of more unusual cats – the
white tigers. These are rare creatures,
only born when both parents have a
rare type of gene. We’re so used to
thinking of tigers as orange that these
magnificent beasts were a standout
and curious attraction.
Slightly smaller creatures are the stars of
the Animal Education Show, with the
aforementioned binturongs fighting
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Conserving energies
B
ali Safari & Marine Park
is part of Taman Safari
Indonesia that has similar
parks in other parts of the country
but is also involved in animal
conservation. It has helped
out on projects to protect the
endangered Bali Mynah bird and
also worked to help rescue and
release two Sumatran tigers back
into the wild. With a zookeeper
training program and an on-site
animal hospital, the animals are
in good hands.
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