IF YOU ever reach the shores of Coron, Palawan, make sure that you spend a few hours at the Calauit Island Safari Park in the Calamian Islands.
Even if you don’t have a child in tow, the attractions in this place will bring out the child in you. No matter how composed you keep your emotions, the sight of zebras and giraffes roaming around you can definitely elicit a childish squeal of delight.
We arrived at the nature reserve after a five-minute boat ride, then walked for a few minutes more until we reached a clearing. From where we stood, a mere 10 meters away, there’s no mistaking that the long stretch of moving brown and white patches belonged to the body of a magnificent giraffe. More of them strolled around the place, oblivious to the tourist who all seemed struck by wonder.
As we approached the area where our group congregated, my attention sauntered into a dazzle of zebras standing motionless like a striped statue. If it weren’t for the subtle ear movement, I would’ve thought they were marble sculptures.
I made to approach a foal (a young zebra) but the tour guide warned me not to make physical contact. Zebras detest being petted; they bite when they feel threatened. Since I wanted to keep my limbs intact, I maintained a safe proximity and happily admired them from a distance of three feet.
Through our guide, I’ve also learned even though zebras and horses have similar builds, zebras don’t neigh. Instead, they emit a puppy-sounding bark.
Eventually, we were gathered into a fenced area to feed the giraffes with Malwandit leaves or Bakawang Gubat. At the sight of their favorite food, a tower of giraffes in a state of feeding frenzy circled us. We were allowed to caress the back of their 6-foot necks, which they bent as they seized the leaves we clutched in our raised hands. There was nothing terrifying about these creatures; you can even put the leaves in between your lips so the giraffes can gently pluck them from your mouth. I’ve tried feeding elephants in Thailand and camels and crocodiles in Subic before, but I consider my experience with the giraffes in Calauit the most treasured.
In the late 1970s, Kenya sought the assistance of the Philippine government to save African wildlife such as giraffes, zebras, gazelles, antelopes, and waterbucks. Unfortunately, due to the lack of experts that specialize in the health of these species, only the giraffes and zebras survived out of the variety of species transported to Calauit Island from Africa.
Not many people know about the hidden gem that is the 3,700-hectare Calauit Island Safari Park. Even the tourists we’ve met in the boat were clueless that such attraction exists in Palawan. At some point, they asked the tour guide what made a safari different from a zoo, to which he replied that animals in the safari are not held captive in cages.
The entrance fee to Calauit Safari Park costs 200 pesos only. For this affordable rate, you can have a glimpse of Africa in Palawan, made more special by the rare face-to-face encounter with the world’s gentlest giants.