It can be hot when visiting the Centre but we had chosen one of Thailand’s few cool days. From the lake in front of the centre the gibbons shouted at us happily from their specially built gibbon islands. This is the nearest thing to freedom most have experienced. Unfortunately, if they are released into the jungle, they will probably be killed for food. Until Edwin can persuade the Government to provide game wardens in the surrounding jungle, he cannot release them.

There had been some work carried out at the entrance to the Centre and everything looked smart and clean. We visited the crocodile who looked happy and contented, and slowly walked through the elephant area on the way to the new bear enclosure. The elephants we saw were once working elephants and, with their mahouts, involved in logging in the North of Thailand. In 1989 the Thai Government banned logging and many of the mahouts were forced to take their elephant to the big cities as tourist attractions. These elephants have now been given a home but they earn their keep by working with the volunteers at the centre and moving timber and clearing areas for the other animals to live.

The new bear enclosure is very large and spacious and the bears roam freely. You can walk on top of the very large caged area. The bears seem happy and healthy. Many of the bears have been rescued from tiny cramped enclosures where they have remained for years. It is the practice in Thailand to give unwanted animals to the Buddhist temples to be cared for by the monks. Unfortunately, this results in the more dangerous animals being unsuitably fed and caged. This practice was illustrated graphically when, accompanied by Edwin, we painfully visited the latest rescued animal in the hospital area.

The Wildlife Friends Mobile Clinic which is funded by “Care for the Wild International” had responded to another emergency. It was a 10 year old Asiatic black bear who had been living alone in a large cage for 7 years at a Buddhist temple in Korat. The bear had been passed onto another temple whose Abbot had sensibly contracted the Centre for their help when she became sick. When he learned more about the intentions of the Centre and how the bear could experience freedom and a better existence at Wildlife Friend’s of Thailand’s (WFFT) bear sanctuary, he agreed that she should be moved.

The bear when we saw her was very weak and hardly moving. She had a high temperature and several maggot infested wounds which had caused blood poisoning. The WFFT’s veterinarians had had to perform complicated surgical procedures to remove maggots in her.

Although there was concern about her weakness and lack of appetite at that time, apparently after a few days, to the delight of the WFFT staff and veterinarians, she was found one morning actively playing, eating and almost tearing apart her quarantine enclosure. She has now been placed close the other bears in the “FREE THE BEARS COMPLEX” to socialize and to be introduced to them. This has been her first contact with other bears in many years.

At the Centre we saw a variety of macaques (5 species), 2 species of gibbon, several species of civets, loris, small and big cats (leopard cats, tigers), bears, crocodiles and exotic birds.

Our favorite animal is Mieuw, the tiger who was rescued from being chained to a garage forecourt. Mieuw is shortly being moved to a new enclosure within the Centre but for the moment, he seemed happy in large field-type enclosure, complete with swimming pool. Mieuw can never the set free because he is disabled from being chained up when a cub and being fed unsuitable food. There are notices all round the centre asking people not to touch the animals but it was hard to resist when Mieuw, like the domestic cat, rubbed his cheek against the fence to be stroked. He is a magnificent animal and it is heartbreaking to watch how disabled he is when he walks.