Crocodile and Tiger World
To see prime examples of fresh and saltwater crocodiles in all their glory, visit the Crocodile and Tiger World, which is a private zoo near the centre of Phuket Town. Despite not being very well publicised and not even particularly busy, it’s quite an interesting place to visit as there are literally thousands of crocs (they claim to have over 10,000 specimens).
Because it’s a real farm and breeding centre, the animals sold here are eventually destined to end up as meat or handbags, and it feels like opening to the public is just an afterthought as the majority of income is from selling these magnificent creatures. You can get quite close to the crocs, and there are daily shows where the daring animal handler performs all manner of risky moves, such as putting his limbs inside a crocodile’s mouth. Feeding time is especially fun, as hundreds of the animals wrangle over the food.
Besides the impressive crocodiles, the zoo also has other exotic animals such as emus, ostriches, tropical birds, gibbons, monkeys, and of course tigers which are also bred. Open daily between 10am and 6pm, the entrance fee is quite steep at 500 baht for adults and 300 for children. Early in 2009, the zoo sparked local controversy as there were reports that it had illegally obtained some endangered orang-utans, which were successfully rescued by Thailand’s wildlife protection agencies. Since then, there have been no further reports of similar misdemeanours at the zoo.