Crocolandia

Crocolandia, an animal park, is a place worth visiting when your are in the Talisay City area.

Dedicated to conserving animals by simulating their appropriate natural habitats, Crocolandia houses crocodiles (its famous resident is an estuarine crocodile named Lapu-Lapu), as well as an assortment of animals.

Run by the Crocolandia Foundation, Inc., the animal park was founded in 2001 and is located in Barangay Biasong in Talisay.

Aside from the 20 crocodiles in the park, Crocolandia also has quite an interesting bird collection. I met a Hill Myna, who said “hello” to me, then asked me what my name was and said “bye-bye” after our “conversation.” I must say that I did spend a few minutes enthralled with this creature just to amuse myself!

In the covered court area of the park resides a pretty wild squirrel directly beside the slithery reticulated Burmese python! Though I am not too keen on snakes and I dislike them the exact same way I feel for spiders, these tanked species, I thought, are very well cared for.

Having been to endless numbers of zoos in my life, it was only in Crocolandia where I saw an Asian leopard up close and personal. I thought that this creature was just so adorable, similar to a domestic cat except for its exceptionally unusual fur. It is one animal to look out for. Apart from that, there are other informative exhibits in the covered area that will tell you about some animal life cycles, which is great for children, as well as curious adults like myself.

Inside the park, there is a place to eat that serves meals and snacks in a little hut, as well as a small playground with benches. The Crocolandia Grill serving Cheaverz products is currently being renovated and is due to open sometime in August 2010.

Crocolandia is open daily from 8am to 5pm. Entrance fee is P80 for adults and P40 for children below 12 years old. Groups of 25 and over may avail of a 25 percent discount. For further questions, you may contact the park directly on (63-32) 273-1842 to speak to one of the friendly advisers.

Visitors may also become a part of the foundation by making a donation/contribution to help care for the animals. You may become a member (valid for a year) by filling in a membership application form available at the entrance.

To get there, you will have to drive down the SRP and make a left into San Isidro Road (you will see a small sign in the corner). Once you get to the second major intersection, make a right, then go across the bridge and exactly on your right-hand side, you will find Crocolandia, you can’t miss it!

Crocolandia also had a recent activity for Environment Day, which carried the theme, “Many Species. One Planet. One Future.”