Howdy all. Travel is a funny thing. We can visit places and be exhilarated by what we see. Discover that the world is not as small as we might perceive it. We can leave places with a good feeling. The world is full of great initiatives, places that focus on animal rehabilitation, or preservation. And then there are other places which you leave feeling guilty after visiting.

The good news is – the world has changed. Viewing animals caged and trapped may have caused very few to feel bad 30 years ago, but more and more people question these days whether sanctuaries and zoos are actually good for animals in any way. Many zoos around the world do do a lot of good for the animals in their care and others that might be released back to the wild. But at the same time most animals in zoos are there for people to come and gawk at. Yes, often the conditions can be pretty decent. But the animals do not have their freedom. And there lies the big moral dilemma.

At the end of the day, it’s up to the individual to determine how they feel about this. And for me, I’m not sure where I sit seeing arguments for and against keeping animals in captivity. Because having a pet (not that I do but I would have a dog if my lifestyle allowed I suspect) is again another instance of keeping animals in captivity.

As we grow older, we can and should develop the ability to reflect and be critical on our own actions – whilst I want to add acknowledging that no-one is perfect! Back in 2015 I visited Chiang Mai’s ‘Tiger Kingdom’ where my wife and I posed for photos with sleepy tigers, thinking it was pretty great. Years later I was thinking back on this and realised those tigers must have been drugged to the hilt. And although Tiger Kingdom does look after tigers, it’s just wrong.

So when in Malaysia late last year I heard of ‘Crocodile Adventureland’ when on Langkawi (where it is). In the end, I decided to go. Malaysia’s largest ‘Crocodile Park’ I think they boasted. I have no real justification for going. I wanted to see what it was like, and I feared it would be pretty sad. And unfortunately, I was right. And at one point I was there thinking to myself it was pretty low of me to go expecting to see what I saw.

So perhaps I haven’t learnt that much from Tiger Kingdom after all. But let me, briefly, tell you about Crocodile Adventureland. Firstly, it is sadly lacking in adventure. There are a lot of crocodiles there and basically feels like a zoo. Just for crocodiles.

It was November when I was there, late November early December, and it was just before tourist season. There were only a handful of visitors. There were a number of enclosures, some not very big at all considering it was for a crocodile or two, some a bit bigger. It was an overcast day and I think there was a bit of rain about but not whilst I was there.

It felt dreary. And the crocodiles looked miserable. Maybe crocodiles never look perky, that’s a fair point, and they get fed regularly, have water to lie in and are looked after I guess. They had a ‘crocodile show’ which lasted five minutes and it was just the keepers throwing whole raw chickens at the crocs.

There were a couple of huts with crocodile education for the kids, and a photo opportunity where you could hold a baby crocodile on one arm. Which I passed on. There was a section where perhaps they put on a show, but not on that day, and of course a gift shop. There was a tree lookout to climb too, and that’s about it.

It’s a money making venture. And perhaps because crocodiles aren’t known as the friendliest of animals, there is less of a moral line to get blurred.  As much as it sounds exciting, even if you didn’t feel the moral issue, I can’t imagine you get much out of a visit. Maybe the place comes alive in the tourist season, I don’t know.

I do know there’s not much else to tell you. I recommend seeing animals in the wild. It’s harder and harder still to get good photos, but this … I shouldn’t have gone and I have no excuses. Having said that, it’s a question that we must ask ourselves, something to make your own mind up about visiting a place like this. And there’s no judgement either way on my part – so feel free to comment and express your opinion!

Thanks for popping by today! Take care wherever you are, and … May the Journey Never End!