TuoiTreNews.vn - A zoo claimed by its developer to be the country’s largest wildlife care and conservation park is set to be opened on December 24 on Phu Quoc, a touristic island off southern Vietnam.
The Vinpearl Safari phase one spans 380 hectares, and is comparable to major parks of its kind in Asia, according to Vietnamese realty conglomerate Vingroup.
Phu Quoc Island, a district administered by Kien Giang Province, is also home to Vingroup’s flagship Vinpearl entertainment complex, and the safari park sits just in front of the resort and around 30km from Duong Dong Town, the center of Vietnam’s largest island.
According to Vingroup, more than 2,000 animals of 140 different species are cared for and protected at Vinpearl Safari, which is the first-ever in Vietnam and has been built with the least possible interference with the local environment.
The park, consisting of an open zoo and safari park, could easily be mistaken as a normal forest were it not for the entrance gate and banner reading Vinpearl Safari.
After entering the zoo, visitors walk through a forest toward a big lake, where they can see hundreds of American flamingos, before moving on to other areas to meet collections of birds and wild animals.
Visitors can also board a bus to go on safari, where they can come face-to-face with such animals as tigers, lions, rhinos and elephants through the windows.
The ecosystem of the forest has remained almost untouched, and the animals have been imported from India and Africa via private jets.
The animal list includes common waterbuck, striped hyaena, royal python, chacma baboon, bat-eared fox, common eland, greater kudu, gemsbok, dromedary, ring tailed lemur, Sika deer, greater flamingo, chimpanzee, pelican, sloth bear, Indian peafowl, Asian elephant, Bengal tiger and white rhino, among other rare birds and plants.
“More than 400 species of local plants are also preserved inside the park,” said Vo Chi Cong, head of guide services.
The park also has a wildlife hospital with a staff of five doctors, vets and nurses from India to take care of its animal imports. There are also foreign animal experts to help them adapt to the new environment.
The Vinpearl Safari broke ground in September, with an estimated investment of VND3.3 trillion (US$147.32 million), according to Vingroup.
A wildlife research and preservation program was also initiated at the same time as the groundbreaking.
“Our aim is to make the park a wildlife conservation program in Vietnam,” said Dr. Le Khac Quyet, director of the program.
“We will also try to make Vinpearl Safari a leading international-standard zoo park in Vietnam and Asia.”
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