PHOTOS | Stacia Priscilla

This is a collection of photographs I got from my visit to Taman Safari in Bogor, Indonesia. It wasn’t that long ago since I last visited a zoo (San Diego Zoo). I might be a bit biased, but my Taman Safari experience had been much more memorable than in San Diego. Yes, it’s because this is my country, but it’s not just that – cars are ~~allowed~~ encouraged to enter the territory, and we’re able to get intimate with the animals while staying within the safety of our personal vehicles.

Taman Safari may have less variety of animal species to look out for, but they provide a 100% natural environment for the animals to reside, with a bit of artificial props here and there for them to play. I’ve seen close to none that are caged or locked in solitary confinements (except for dangerous ones, of course, namely the big cats).

When a whole zoo is situated on a mountain, naturally its premises are a treasure-trove of faunas, consciously preserved, to let the animals behave the way Mother Nature intended them to. All the animals look happy and healthy.

I’ve been to about three zoos in the States – San Diego, San Francisco, and New York (Central Park). Most, if not all, only offer artificial settings for their animals. At Taman Safari, every flora and fauna I lay my eyes on are practically virgins. Even the soil they grow on, the same grounds we walk on, aren’t man-made. They’re all part of a larger bedrock that is Mount Arjuno, the base of these natural habitats. Dunes and valleys of the stratovolcano also provide a magnificent background of volcanic complex that can be seen stretching throughout the zoo perimeter, erecting almost as high as 20,000 feet.

I came here by chance on 19 August 2012, a date to celebrate our 14 months together as a couple with my boyfriend. It was extremely fun and we had a great time – you can actually tell just by looking at the pictures after I’m done babbling here.

I’m glad to say that all the photographs below are taken and edited by myself So as everything else on my photography page. This will be the first photography post wherein I embed words and input (plus fun captions), just to make the storytelling funnier than the usual wordless slideshows I hope you’ll enjoy the ride as much as I did!