an afternoon at Bali Zoo

i always find zoos controversial. for some it is out of question to see an animal in a cage - for others it's educational and a way to preserve endangered species. i am in the second lot. i really like zoos. of course animals should be happy and well taken care of and yes, some zoos are better than others...

i found Bali zoo to be nice and the animals seemed well looked after - there are even a few small ones (a wallaby with a baby in the pocket, or the white tigers with a small cub). 

Wallaby with baby in the pocket

White Tiger family

i also learned something on our little trip. i don't know why i thought that bears only lived in colder climates, but no they also live in warmer ones. the sun bear, an endangered species and the smallest type of bear, lives also in Indonesia (Borneo and Sumatra). 

the gardens are lovely, it is stroller friendly, and the park is small enough for little ones to walk by themselves the whole way. Bibs, our 3 year old, had a fantastic afternoon, a part for the fact that we missed the elephant ride because it got too late! she got an ice cream though, so that saved the day!

they have a couple of bird shows everyday (11 and 3 i think). it is quite good and at the end you can take a picture with a small lion. i think it's tummy must be very full to just lay there. this is standard everywhere in Bali. i think they think that tourists love those kind of pictures! don't know what to think, don't really like that an animal is used that way! then i have had pics taken with birds for exemple, so what's the difference... i don't know. 

there s also an educational show, that we didn't see, i think it runs 12pm and 4pm, and then the elephant ride - with 3 different trails. 

there are different entrance fares available, most options come with lunch in one of the restaurants (looking at the lions or at the elephants), but simple entries to the zoo exist as well. 

finally, you need to meet Jacky, the Orangutan. It was his birthday the day we were there and somehow I think he knew it! it definitely looked like he was waiting for a couple of presents to come his way!

i don't think the zoo is a great day out for adults alone, but with small children it is a nice thing to do while visiting Bali, if you have had enough beach, surf & sip and are looking for a quieter break during the holidays.

some more pictures of the area...