It is situated on 12 acres of land and is privately owned and run, without Government support or intervention. Phuket is a MAJOR tourist destination, and this Zoo is promoted heavily amongst local taxi and "tuk tuk" drivers. Tourists get a tour of many "attractions" and this is one stop on their journey. They should absolutely boycott Phuket Zoo - as visiting supports the continued neglect and mis
treatment of these poor animals that are the unlucky prisoners of this "Zoo". My "visit" included seeing:
**A drugged (sedated) tiger who was chained all day whilst tourists posed for photos and prodded it
**Elephants who are forced to perform and are kept in substandard enclosures
**Crocodiles who are sharing massively OVERCROWDED enclosures in stagnant water
**An eagle in a cage with no room to fly, and an OBVIOUS BROKEN WING
**Monkeys AND APES who are FORCED to perform in a humiliating SHOW where they ride small bikes and are pulled around stage in chains, this show happens MULTIPLE times a day
**Monkeys caged in concrete cages without ANY form of stimulation or enrichment
This "Zoo" is TRULY a SAD SAD place to visit. It is obvious that the owners exploit these animals for profit and none is invested in the animals well being in ANY WAY. The grounds are run down and the whole place left me feeling depressed and disgusted. Petition already closed and submitted to the Zoo:
http://www.change.org/actions/view/phuket_zoo_must_improve_standards_or_close
And if you are visiting Phuket DO NOT visit this Zoo, and tell your friends to do the same. By doing so you are merely supporting the continued maltreatment and exploitation of these poor helpless animals. More information:
http://www.phuketzoo.com/about_us.html (wow it looks GREAT on the website)
Read TOURIST reviews which paints a VERY different picture:
http://www.travelmuse.com/pois/TH/62/attractions/phuket-zoo
