Khao Prathap Chang Wildlife Sanctuary in Ratchaburi

Khao Prathap Chang Wildlife Sanctuary in Ratchaburi is located at the base of Khao Prathap Chang Peak, opposite to the Tham Khao Bin Cave, in the Ratchaburi province.

Now no matter where I travel in the world, going to a ‘zoo’ is not normally something that’s high on my to-do list.

I have seen so pretty terrible conditions that animals are expected to live, or die in and tend to avoid them like the plague.
One zoo that comes to mind was in France, housed in a turn of the century fort, the animals were in concrete enclosures, that allowed for no stimulation. Animals often died and were simply replaced.

Khao Prathap Chang Wildlife Sanctuary is kind of a different story though. It is owned by the Royal Forest Department of Thailand.

What you won’t see is concrete enclosures, instead you will see enclosures that are interacting as part of this forest reservoir that they are within. Some encloses are set against the rocky cliffs, which give some of the inhabitants a more natural feeling. Seeing a goat precariously perched 10 feet off the ground on a small ledge goes to show how they adapt to their surroundings.

The enclosures are within a section of the shady natural park, with gatherings of different species of plants mentioned in Thai literature.

The animals with in the Sanctuary are quite a broad cross section.

You will find anything from a Singapore Porcupines, to  Genets, Alligators, Treeshrews, Elongated Tortoises, Civets, Red Junglefowl, Tigers, Osteidges, Camels and a wide ranging selection of birds such as the Hill Myna, which is illegal to have in captivity in Thailand.

There is a short 1km hiking path called “Phrueksa Nana Phan”, literally meaning various kinds of plants. The path has 13 information stations along it’s length.

 

Located near the wildlife sanctuary is the Khao Prathap Chang Wildlife Breeding Centre, a wildlife breeding centre and the largest Felidae breeding centre in Thailand.

Tourists can donate animal food or money to buy food for tigers and other animals.

Operating hours:

Every day from 8:30 to 16:30

How to get here from Bangkok:

Bus: Take the Bangkok-Chom Bueng bus and get off in front of Tham Khao Bin and the Literary Botanical Garden of Central Thailand. The wildlife sanctuary is located opposite to Tham Khao Bin.

Car: Drive along Highway 3087, Ratchaburi-Chom Bueng-Suang Phueng Road, as far as the 18th milestone.

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