Crocodile Park is no doubt an iconic tourist spot in Davao. Located at C.P. Garcia,

Davao City. As the name implies, its main attraction is the crocodiles. A place

often listed in the itineraries of people who visit Davao and certainly, a favorite place

for educational trips, and for the purpose of team-building, recreation, sightseeing,

or simply touring.

Recently, my school, Davao Christian High School, added Davao Crocodile Park to

our itinerary for our field trip. In addition to that, us students were given the task to

write an article or a series of articles talking about Crocodile Park or our experience

during our time there. Thus this article.

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It was nearing two in the afternoon when four buses forming a beeline arrived at the

front of Davao Crocodile Park. The doors opened and eleventh-grade students started

trickling out of the vehicles and started to meet with their predestined groups in order

to start their vlogs (another project). My classmates and I did the same and in a few

minutes, I was together with my group mates kick-starting the vlog.

Upon entering the zoo, the first place that my group and I had in mind to visit were the

crocodiles, which were located at the front and center area. They weren’t placed in a

single cage but rather were placed in different cages in accordance with their sizes.

There was a cage just for the biggest crocodile and several bigger cages that contained

medium-sized and smaller-sized ones. These huge reptiles seemed interesting to

observe when in action. However, since the crocodiles were as still as a statue, my

group mates and I decided to go and see the other animals for now and return to the

crocodiles later.

First up were the birds who were located on the left side of the crocodile cages upon

entering the zoo. It was amazing to think how all the birds, although part of the same

family, had different characteristics. There were big ones and small ones; birds that have

multicolored feathers ranging from the darkest black to the purest white. Looking from

cage to cage was like walking through a parade of floats during a festival in Rio de Janeiro.

In other words, the birds held beauty in diversity. Unfortunately, we had to move on to the

next part of the zoo which was located to the right side of the birds’ cages. This area’s

aquariums contained the family of reptiles. Reptiles like lizards sat still on their branches,

unfazed at the sight of the visitors who ignorantly stared at them as if they were the most

fascinating animals. In addition, there were even monkeys, a Palawan Bearcat, and some

small turtles in a well; and should you take some time walking around, you would find some

more birds: an emu, various types of pheasants, and some peacocks. Seeing the various

animals proves to give a great experience for both children and adults alike.

Crocodile Park is the perfect place for getting close and interacting with various animals.

The cages of the animals allow the people to see the animals in full view. There are even

some animals that you could interact with directly. Some birds are situated around the

zoo and you could take pictures with them for the price of about Php 20. My friend Ikoy

and I took the opportunity and had a picture with a parrot and a cockatoo. The birds were

really friendly. You could even pat their heads. Should you ever find yourself wanting to

take a picture with a reptile, there are baby crocodiles. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take

a picture with one, but I heard that it felt really weird because of the texture of their skin and

how cold it felt. On the other hand, I was able to take a picture with two yellow pythons. It

was a fun yet thrilling experience. The feeling of two slithering predators seated on your

shoulders gave me chills. I felt a slight fear as the zookeepers wrapped their bodies around

my neck because there was this subconscious feeling that they could suffocate me anytime.

Nevertheless, I still enjoyed the experience because nothing beats seeing and feeling the

actual thing. Their cold bodies, the scaly texture of their skin, small beady eyes, and forked

tongue really felt alive. In addition, I even learned something new. Snakes actually have nails.

Their nails are found at the area near the tip of their tails.

Don’t worry though, if you aren’t into taking photos with animals, you could feed them instead.

There are certain animals that you could feed. you could toss fish feeds in the koi pond and

watch as a flurry of colorful koi try to grab a piece for them to eat. There are also crocodiles

and tigers which you can feed through rods with meat attached to its ends. This not only gives

you firsthand experience, but it also gives added insight as to how these species eat. When

my group and I decided to feed one of the tigers, we were amazed at its size. At first glance,

the tiger, Sultan, didn’t seem to be big, but when it approached to grab the meat hanging from

the rod, its face was actually really big, like the size of a large wok. With the body’s length,

stretching to an average of 13 feet, it surely is a big tiger. On the other hand, the ostriches I

took some time to feed, stand at an average of 10 feet. Feeding the animals was really fun and

it really places a smile on your face, getting to interact with these creatures.

As for our overall thoughts as a group with regards to our visit to Davao Crocodile Park, it truly

was an unforgettable experience. Seeing and interacting with the animals in the zoo made us

realize that there are more to just them being there and existing. These animals have unique

characteristics and personalities that make them diverse and different from one another. It

reminded us that we, humans play a massive part in the big ecosystem called Earth — and the

responsibility of caring and ensuring the survival of these species is upon us.

Unpopular Opinion: What About the Animals?

This article, although it sounds negative, does not wish to degrade zoos or criticize the ones who

created these establishments. The following article you are about to read is just a mere train of thought

that hopes to make people rethink about how the animals feel about being caged in a domesticated kind of life.

While most visitors in the zoo enjoyed their time documenting their stay at the zoo, I couldn’t help but feel

sad as I watched the animals in their cages. If there was one thing that I saw in all of their eyes, it was

sadness. They have all been deprived of the freedom they used to have. What could be sadder is some

of those animals may never have known what freedom was. Think about this, every species has its own

natural habitat. However, with the event of them being in an artificial habitat, these species eventually

degrade and become domesticated.

The very moment that the animals are uprooted from the place they once called home, there will be

inevitable changes in their body and behaviour as well. Due to the sudden change of their surroundings,

the animals then become drastically dependent on their keepers called humans, because they have no

choice should they want to survive. The environment may seem “fit” for them, but it nullifies their abilities

to a certain extent. For example, wild animals or predators to be exact can lose their natural ability for

hunting. Since they no longer have food, they’ll need to rely on the ones who feed them. On the

“brighter” side, these animals would no longer need to hunt for food is served before them.

However, as time passes, these animals, tigers for example, lose the ability to hunt and fend for

themselves should they be released into the wild once again. These felines would no longer be animals

that could evolve in the wild, but domestic wildcats. All of this brought by forcibly placing them in a cage

called their “home”.

On the other hand, it is an inevitable truth that zoos exist for the people to be able to observe and marvel

at the animals’  uniqueness. In addition, zoos can also be a venue for interactive learning, for it provides

various information about each animal that lives there and allows the learners to see the animals live and

in action. Furthermore, such places like these allow us to safely interact with various species in environment.

Lastly, this is a place where families and friends can create memories and capture them through photo,

because it is through the smiles and laughter they have shared that their bonds grow stronger as they

walk through the zoo and see the different animals God had created.