A Malaysian Photo And Travel Blog: [Selangor] National Zoo Malaysia

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National Zoo Malaysia Part 2 (A Horny Buffalo and Some Playful Otter)

Posted by shloke 19 October 2008 5 comments

Location: National Zoo, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 16 October 2008, 12.58pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.6, ISO Equiv.: 200

16th October 2008 (A big buffalo craving for attention and some otters caught in action at National Zoo Malaysia/Zoo Negara)

Lately, the weather in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, Malaysia is totally unexpected. On my recent trip back to Zoo Negara/National Zoo Malaysia, the weather is CRAZY! Earlier that day, it was cloudy. Suddenly, there is a light drizzle that last less than half an hour. After that, it was a bright afternoon for one hour. By 4.00 pm, it started to rain again...this time it rains heavily!

After taking a short break (only with a can of 100 PLUS), I decided to carry on with my tour of the zoo. I move to the buffalo enclosures. There are different types of buffaloes in the zoo. Some of them are typical water buffalo, while others are mix breed. It's difficult to take pictures of buffaloes. These animals normally stay in groups. I nearly gave up hope taking decent photos of these animals. I was moving to the wild boar enclosure. Then, suddenly a large-sized buffalo was moving very close to the barricade. It was eating fallen shrubs at the barrier. Slowly and discreetly, I walk to the enclosure and started taking pictures. Again...not an easy task. The row of shrubs were blocking the view. I position myself closer and snapped some close-up shots. It turn out to be some really good photos! I was apprehensive at first because the buffalo is a humongous animal. I don't want to be kick in the arse with the sharp and pointy horns!

After the short drizzle...the Zoo is brighten up with the sunny sky. It was a wonderful moment to capture some photos of plants. I managed to discover some secluded spots in the zoo that is full of big trees and exotic green plants. As usual, I select the type of plants that has papery thin leaves. I tried out different angle to get the best results. A tiring thing to do, but the end results is excellent.

Next, I move to the otter enclosure. There were around 9 - 10 otters. I saw a few workers sawing logs of wood to be added into the otter enclosure. The otters were enjoying the bony delights (raw fish)...some of them were chewing the meat while others were playing hide and seek. It was a golden opportunity to take more photos. Unfortunately, the concrete barrier separating the otters and visitors is too high. I have to virtually climb up the wall to get a better photo spot.

Then, I move to the zoo's aquarium and souvenir shops. Lots of fishes! The aquarium is NICE! The only shortcoming is the glass wall in the aquarium is too foggy and full of scratches...Impossible to take photos there.

Overall, I truly enjoyed my nostalgic revisit to National Zoo Malaysia. There are lots of improvement in the zoo...better and larger enclosure...more exhibits...improved signage...huge marine collection in the aquarium and also a very informative reptile and amphibian house. The other shortcoming is the Ape Centre...large-sized orang-utans are being kept in a glass-like room. I hope the management of the zoo is able to provide a better living space for these large orang-utans...maybe allowing them to mix with the smaller orang utans (outdoor). I spent nearly four hours in the zoo and managed to explore 90% of the zoo.

Some pictures I took when I went to visit the National Zoo Malaysia/Zoo Negara:

Picture 1 - A horny buffalo craving for attention.

Picture 2 - The SILENT GAZE! I am going to teach the matador a GOOD FLYING KICK ACTION today.

Picture 3 - Look at my large horns.

Picture 4 - A single-humped camel.

Picture 5 - Any takers for a bumpy hump ride? Pay me with a gallon of water and a pile of fresh savanna grass!

Picture 6 - Guess what type of animal this is? A mixture of black and white hairs...long and short...also with black spots...small four legged mammal.

Picture 7 - Well! Its a PONY!

Picture 8 - Greetings from a bunch of paper cats...MEOW!

Picture 9 - Vibrant colours...cute colourful fans.

Picture 10 - Another angle.

Picture 11 - Lots of fans! Simply creative...shaped like a piece of flower.

Picture 12 - Its a bright day...even the fans' petal were illuminated with light.

Picture 13 - A close-up shot...a riot of colours...yellow, red, indigo and blue.

Picture 14 - The black border creates an interesting contrast.

Picture 15 - Living dead. A fallen leaf on a healthy plant.

Picture 16 - Reaching for the Sun.

Picture 17 - Multiple thorns on the trunk. I am not sure about these sharp structures.

Picture 18 - Green Mother Earth. This picture was taken soon after a light drizzle...when the Sun is shinning bright again.

Picture 19 - Look like a forest...but it's actually an isolated spot in the zoo.

Picture 20 - Smaller plants such as fern able to survive by adapting to the surrounding...growing on other taller plants.

Picture 21 - I LOVE this picture. A large piece of leaf in the midst of other smaller and greener shrubs.

Picture 22 - A lonely leaf.

Picture 23 - A large piece of leaf...light is distributed on the surface of the leaf. This photo was captured at the back of the leaf...light and shadow is visible.

Picture 24 - Another picture.

Picture 25 - This picture look CRISP and CLEAR. You can actually see the blue sky at the back.

Picture 26 - Stripes of green.

Picture 27 - A playful otter.

Picture 28 - OUCH! I've bitten a BONE! Get me a dentist ASAP!

Picture 29 - I am going to hold tight to my precious bony delicacy. What are you looking at? Don't even think about it!

Picture 30 - OK! I am going to start off my acceptance speech by thanking momma and daddy for teaching me how to fish.

Picture 31 - I NEED more fish! FEED ME or I'll go on a rampage!

[Selangor] ALL POSTS, [Selangor] National Zoo Malaysia

National Zoo Malaysia Part 1 (A Nostalgic Revisit)

Posted by shloke 17 October 2008 4 comments

Location: National Zoo, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 16 October 2008, 3.42pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/6.3, ISO Equiv.: 100

16th October 2008 (A half-day outing to rediscover National Zoo Malaysia/Zoo Negara)

Its been awhile since I last visited National Zoo Malaysia. I decided to revisit National Zoo Malaysia (Zoo Negara Malaysia) to capture some photos with my brand new Nikon D60 DSLR camera. In addition, I wish to see for myself if there is any new addition to their animal family.

As usual, I boarded a bus to Kota Raya. Next, I took a Metrobus (Number 16) to National Zoo. The bus fare is RM2 for one way trip. The bus finally arrived after a 40 minutes of hot and sweaty wait. If you are planning a trip to National Zoo Malaysia with public bus, it is advisable to inform either the bus driver or conductor of your destination. I find this very useful because they will inform you when the bus has reached its destination. The bus trip from Kota Raya to National Zoo took about 1 hour++. It was a SLOW, LOUSY and 'ENDLESS' trip. I was so MAD with the bus driver...he was driving at a snail's pace and along the way...the driver and the conductor was trying to get more passengers!

At the National Zoo, I bought an entrance ticket for RM15 (with MyKad). Those who brought along a video camera need to top-up another RM5. I requested a map to plan my half-day discovery. The map is very informative! It has detailed information about different section of the zoo. The map is viewable at this URL http://www.zoonegara.org.my/map.html

Firstly, I saw some giraffes having their lunch of green leaves. The leaves were tied together on top of a piece of metal pole...an interesting method used to feed these long-legged mammals. The giraffes look elegant with their enormous size and also gentle manner.

After that, I move to the zoo's lake. I can see lots of milky storks around the lake. Some of them storks were standing still, while others were having their spread-wing postures. The milky stork feathers are simply AMAZING! It has a mixture of white, green, black and a bit of metallic colour.

Next, I move to the buffaloes, cows and deer enclosure. These animals are HUGE! Out of a sudden, a cow moves closer to me...away from the herd! It has a huge pair of light brown horns. The cow protrude its tongue occasionally and trying hard to eat some small plants around the enclosure. I picked up my camera and snap a few more photos.

coming soon...National Zoo Malaysia Part 2 (The Mammal Kingdom and The Savannah Walk)

Here are some photos I took during my recent trip to National Zoo Malaysia:

Picture 1 - "Fallen but not forgotten"

Picture 2 - Green Warp Illusion! Look at this photo carefully. The photo is actually rectangle in shape...but the internal linings of the leave create a natural optical illusion that distort the shape of the picture. I did not expect the photo to turn out like this. A PLEASANT SURPRISE!