A Safe Haven
**A wildlife refuge in Phetchaburi may change your attitude about wild animals forever **
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[li]Published: 16/09/2010 at 12:00 AM[/li][li]Newspaper section: Brunch[/li][/ul]
Stepping into a wildlife sanctuary in a remote corner of Phetchaburi’s Tha Yang district, I was a little frightened after being greeted with the loud screeches of gibbons and monkeys.
I quietly walked around, finding myself surrounded by wild animals. The gibbons screeched louder, while in their large cages, frightened dusky langurs jumped up to higher branches. A huge hornbill in the cage flew towards me and looked into my eyes.
Edwin Wiek, founder and director of the Wildlife Friends Foundation, approached the hornbill’s cage to greet it and pet it. “Come on. Are you Okay?”
And the large bird and the man played together like close friends.
This is the Wildlife Rescue Centre, a modest refuge run by the Wildlife Friends Foundation where rescued wild animals can be rehabilitated and wait to be released back into the forest.
“We have a number of gibbons here. When young, they’re so cute and often become pets. People love to carry them around. But when they grow up their fangs grow long, and most are left and forgotten in their cages,” Mr Wiek said.
In the wild, gibbons never leave their babies. So, if you see a baby gibbon, you can assume that its mother is dead.
Located in a remote corner of Tha Yang district of Phetchaburi, only a short drive from Cha-am and Hua Hin, the 25 hectare refuge is home to about 450 animals that have been rescued from various part of Thailand, from snakes and lizards to a tiger and elephants.
“These animals came from various places, including homes and tourism-related businesses,” Mr Wiek said.
His words remind me of the elephants that roam city streets and the eagles, gibbons and pythons used as props for photos that can be found in many tourist spots across the country.
“The police seized some of these gibbons from Samui. They were kept for having their pictures taken with tourists. It’s pretty bad that most tourists are unaware that this business is illegal.”
Mr Wiek started the refuge in 2001 to take care of neglected animals held in captivity from the illegal wildlife trade. Within its first year, the project rescued more than 20 primates and a tiger, Meow.
Today, in addition to the Wildlife Rescue Centre, the foundation has established an elephant refuge and education centre, a gibbon rehabilitation centre and release programme, a bear sanctuary, a tiger sanctuary, a loris rescue project, a wildlife hospital and a mobile animal clinic.
As we walked around, he showed me various animals his team has rescued, including an Asian black bear, Malayan sun bear, macaques, tigers and many elephants. Though all are kept in separate cages, there is a large open area where animals can exercise together - except the elephants, which have their own area.
Among the 450 animals in the refuge, two thirds will never return to the forest, due to injuries or their behaviour.
“Like this croc, it cannot go back to the forest because it is not afraid of people. It will approach people to beg for food,” Mr Wiek said of a three-metre long crocodile lying still by a pond.
PHOTOS: PEERAWAT JARIYASOMBAT
“Once day I had a call from a policeman in Tha Yang district, asking me to catch a small crocodile. He thought all farang knew how to catch crocs. A Korean TV documentary team was here and offered to support the refuge if I caught the croc. Fortunately, I knew Steve Irwin and called him to ask about the technique.”
Mr Wiek rushed to the scene, only to be told by the authorities that they would catch it instead. But once the croc appeared, and people saw how big it was, everyone ran away.
“Besides the Korean TV team, there were many reporters from the Thai papers and TV waiting for me. Though I had never caught a croc in my life, I had no choice. So, a large member of staff and I jumped on its back and tied it with a rope. It took a few minutes, but in my memory it felt like hours.”
I quietly roamed the sanctuary and was glad to see that some animals appear to be relaxing and enjoying life in the lush refuge. However, some remained frightened and were obviously aggressive.
Gibbons continued to screech as I was leaving. In my mind, my attitude towards animals kept for photo opportunities changed totally after visiting the refuge.
**The Wildlife Friends Foundation is at 108 Moo 6, Tambon Tha Mai Ruak, Tha Yang district, Phetchaburi 76130, and is about a 40-minute drive from Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan. For more information, call 03-245-8135 or visit http://www.wfft.org
**