Island Cove Adventure: Snakes & Crocs

We silently entered the hut leading to the Crocodile's lair.  Once inside, we saw a brave man casually handling a yellow python as shown by the pix below.  For a fee, we were able to have our pictures taken with the snake wrapped around us.

Yellow Python, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Aside from the snake, there is also a baby crocodile which is also being handled by the same man. The baby croc's mouth was taped shut so that it woudn't be able to bite off the tourists as they have their pictures taken while carrying it.  Look at those menacing eyes.  I guess it's not happy to have its mouth taped off.

Small Croc, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Finally, we beheld the stars of the show -- the big crocodiles. We noticed that some of the crocodiles were very still with their mouths wide open.  The zookeepers told us that it was their way of releasing heat since they don't sweat. Interesting bit of trivia there.  In addition, for P80 only, you could feed the croc a dead chicken. We got curious so we tried it. The zookeeper tied the chicken with a rope while we held the other end. Slowly, we lowered the chicken. Even before the chicken hit the water, the croc jumped up and snatched the chicken with its powerful jaws. It was action-packed but a bit too barbaric for our taste.

Big Crocs, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Finally, we've completed our tour of Animal Island and on our way out, I took a picture of the big gates and I could not help but be reminded of the movie King Kong:

King Kong's Gate, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Thus ended our wonderful and very interesting tour of Animal Island and of Island Cove itself. After having our afternoon snacks and a quick rest, we finally boarded the bus back to Manila.