My First Visit to Manila Zoo

I happened to see Manila Zoo while I was passing along M. Adriatico Street on my way to the Department of Foreign Affairs. “I must see this zoo”, I said during that moment. So, I went to Manila Zoo on the afternoon the next day to quench my curiosity.
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What welcomed me was the stench of the place. The stinking smell is so great inside the zoo that I almost puke out my lunch a lot of times. I'm not certain but I think that the cages of the animals were not cleaned well that's why the whole place stinks.

How to Go To Manila Zoo

Manila Zoo is very accessible since it is located in the City of Manila. Commuters from Manila City Hall should ride a jeepney bound to Harrison Plaza. Another way to reach Manila Zoo is to ride the LRT-1 and go down the Quirino Station then ride a jeepney that are bound to Harrison Plaza. Please note that the LRT-Quirino Station is the LRT station that is nearest to Manila Zoo.
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Location map of Manila Zoo (source: Google Maps).

Manila Zoo Entrance Fee

Entrance to Manila Zoo is not expensive. The entrance fee for adult visitor is 40 pesos while the entrance fee for children (4 ft and below) is just 20 pesos. Residents of Manila can enter Manila Zoo for only 20 pesos but they must show proof of their residency.

What You Can Do Inside Manila Zoo

Visitors to the zoo can do other things aside from looking at the caged animals. Manila Zoo has a canal, officially called as a lagoon, where visitors can ride a boat.
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Boating on greenish waters of Manila Zoo.

Boat rental is 60 pesos. One boat can ride 5 persons at most. Boating on Manila Zoo is OK but the dirty water is a major turn-off. I suggest that you go to La Mesa Ecopark for a better boating experience.

Visitors can also take pictures with tamed birds at the Bird Photobooth. If the kids are tired of just looking at the animals then parents should bring them to the Kinder Zoo, which is also located inside Manila Zoo. Just for 200 pesos entrance fee, kids can pet snakes, birds and other animals.
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If you found the Kinder Zoo too expensive but still you want to touch some wild animals, your only option is the booth that allows you to touch snakes and mini-crocodiles for a lesser fee.
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Horses are also available inside Manila Zoo. Visitors can ride a horse for 60 pesos.
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Horses for rent in Manila Zoo.

Feeding the animals is prohibited but many visitors doesn't care about this rule. I saw a visitor who was able to pet an ostrich because he lured it with food.
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Americano playing with the ostrich of Manila Zoo.

Animals Inside the Manila Zoo

According to the Manila Zoo website, the zoo currently holds a total of 500 animals. The same website also said that the zoo has elephants, tigers, hippos and lions. The website is outdated, however, because there is no lion inside Manila Zoo during my visit. What I saw are some hippos, tigers and this lone elephant:
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Which reminds me of a scene in Madagascar 3 where the protagonist lion realized that the zoo is not his home. I think that elephant is sad because there is no other elephant inside the park. His cage is also small for an elephant and with floor of hard concrete. It's no wonder that a celebrity criticized the Manila Zoo management because of the elephant.

Tigers are plenty but they are too far away for me to get a decent photo.
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There is a weird horse striped like a zebra.
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A visitor beside me told his son that the animal is an old zebra that's why its stripe is fading. He is wrong. That animal is half-horse and half-zebra, which explains why the animal has weird stripe.

Manila Zoo has a separate area for reptiles. There are snakes, turtles and some lizards like these iguanas:
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There are crocodiles too, which might be the children of Lolong.
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Manila Zoo also has plenty of birds noticeable of which is this peacock:
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I said that that bird is noticeable because of the poor condition of its tails. Peacocks are famous for their beautiful tail that looks like a big fan when spread. The peacocks in Manila Zoo has tails that are torn and ugly. The bird that caught my attention is this weird bird:
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Wikipedia says that this bird is called a cassowary, which is common in Papua New Guinea. This bird has feathers that looks like hair. The elongation of its head is used as protection against falling fruits. It was also said that this bird is known for attacking humans when defending its territory.

I just stayed only for an hour inside Manila Zoo because I can't take the stench anymore. I walked away the zoo as fast as possible so I can breathe stench-free air. Manila Zoo is a good place for field trips and family outings. Just be prepared with the stench though. Don't go to this zoo if your child has asthma or other respiratory illness.

My Suggested Improvements for Manila Zoo

1. The first and very important improvement that Manila Zoo administrators should do is to clean up the cages and remove the stench. This will remove the health hazards for both zoo visitors and employees.

2. Another suggestion is the improvement of Manila Zoo's entrance gate. The gate that's currently in use is not enough to control the crowd. Centaman Entrance Control will surely have the perfect product for the zoo's entrance gate.

3. My last suggestion would be an improvement to animal care. It is saddening to see the peacock with torn tail. Mali the elephant, on the other hand, is ailing. It will be best if the zoo will hire veterinarians and professionals who are experts in animal care.

There were reports that Manila City government has plans in improving the zoo. I hope that the improvement that they're planning includes the suggestion that I listed here.
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