Celebrating life, the Avilon Zoo

There are a lot of zoos you can go to while you are in Metro Manila. You have the Manila Zoo, Malabon Zoo, and Zoobic Safari. Unfortunately though they are either old and unappealing like the depressing Manila Zoo where in the last time I went it was quite dirty, muddy, and the animals did not look to be in top shape or they are too far away like in the case of Zoobic Safari. So in the time before a long weekend, I was pleased to have found Avilon Zoo in Rizal.

The Avilon Zoo is located in San Isidro, Rodriquez (Montalban), Rizal. It boasts to be the largest zoological institution in the Philippines in terms of developed land area with 7.5 hectares of land. Aside from housing a good number of animals found in the Philippines, you can also see critters from other countries like the famous duo, Timon and Pumbaa. You can also be assured that the animals are well taken cared of, in fact, they were even able to breed some of them.

In this particular entry, I will be taking you thru the Avilon Zoo located in Rizal. They do have a branch in Quezon City called Ark Avilon but I have not been there yet so would not show it here.


Directions:

Here is Avilon Zoo as tagged in google maps.


View Larger Map

Here is a picture roughly showing what roads you can take to Avilon Zoo from their website.

Map from Avilon Zoo website.

Here is another website showing directions how to get there via commute.
Here are some driving instructions:
1. Head along edsa going northbound.
2. Turn right at Quezon Avenue and continue until you reach the Elliptical Road/Quezon Memorial Circle.
3. Continue around the circle and turn right at Commonwealth Avenue.
4. Continue along Commonwealth Avenue and turn right to Batasan Road which is right before the Sandiganbayan building.

Sandiganbayan as seen from the road (Source)

5. Continue along Batasan Road until you reach the Batasan-San Mateo Road (tip: this route is easier with better roads but watch out for pedestrians jaywalking!)
6. Continue along the Batasan-San Mateo Road until you reach a junction where you can either go left or right.
7. Go left at the junction and head along Gen. Luna Avenue.
8. Continue to follow Gen. Luna Avenue despite its many bends. (warning: be careful, the road is only 1+1 or "salubungan" so it is very hard to overtake. There are also a lot of bends and I sometimes see huge dumptrucks)
9. When you see a Total Gas Station on your right, turn left (you'll see a sign telling you you've reached Avilon Zoo, see the dump truck?).

Total Gas Station on your right 

10. This part is tricky since you're now on dirt road but don't lose hope and just keep on going steady until you reach Avilon. (warning: this dirt road is dangerous and bumpy. There are a lot of bends and you sometimes won't see oncoming traffic, some areas are also too narrow so you may have to give way to approaching traffic. It is also not lit up at night so I wouldn't advise plying this route when it is already dark.)

Final warning: DO NOT go to Avilon Zoo when it is raining hard and flooding. Unfortunately, you'll have to pass thru a road that goes directly across a river and there are no guiderails so chances are you'll get carried by the river.

I'm on the flooded road I was talking about, that's the river beyond the makeshift barrier sandbags. DANGEROUS.

Contacts and cost:


Avilon Zoo
Bo. San Isidro, Rodriguez, Rizal
Tel. Nos.: (632) 948-3986 * (632) 948-9866 (632) 9418530
Email: avilonzoo@gmail.com

ZOO HOURS:
Monday to Friday: 08:00 AM to 05:00 PM
Saturday & Sunday: 08:00 AM to 06:00 PM

ZOO ENTRANCE RATES:
Regular Entrance Fee: PhP400.00 per person
Children below the counter: PhP300.00 per child
Infants 12 months and below: FREE
Senior Citizens and PWDs: 20% Discount


So, let's get on with it!

Upon reaching the zoo, you'll see that there is ample parking space. As usual, take care of your belongings and do not leave valuables inside your car.

Avilon Zoo parking area and entrance

Here's the view that greets you when you enter. No Smoking! :)

The Arapaima Lagoon as seen from the entrance

You will then see the ticketing booth, dining area, and arapaima lagoon.

You can dine among the Arapaimas on a floating kubo for Php 1,500

Another view of the lagoon with the cottages

Get a chance to feed one of the largest freshwater fish in the world for Php 100 (bucket of chicken heads)

The dining area

Another view of the Arapaima lagoon

Some Arapaimas waiting for food. They follow you when you lean over to see if you'll throw them something.
They're also around 4-6 feet in length!

One of the floating cottages

I'm enchanted by the water lilies and cat tails here

One of the bird houses found in the area,  sometime you'll see some mayas here.

After having your snack/lunch, you can head over to the duck pond. I appreciate the fact that in Avilon Zoo, some animals are free to roam. As you can see in the duck pond, there are no barriers and ducks are free to come and go from the pond. They can also come near you!

The duck pond

Some ducks lounging

Some domestics ducks in a row

I love their bright white colors unlike what I saw in other zoos where they looked filthy

A pair of wild ducks

Black swans anyone?

Wild ducks along the visitor walkways

You'll also get to see some fish there like the kois I encountered below.

From the duck pond, you can climb up the hill to the Avilon Zoo sign and see there camouflaged are the Iguanas.

Avilon Zoo is a wildlife conservation foundation

Hill going to the Avilon Zoo sign

One of the Iguanas housed in the pond under the Avilon Zoo sign.
All of them seem to have damaged lips, not sure if that is due to the decorations in the enclosure.

From the sign, you can either proceed to the reptile enclosure/pigeon houses or the feeding station. We headed over to the feeding station.

The first thing you'll see at the feeding station are the birds, you have the choice of having your picture taken with them for a fee.

The farmland feeding station. An attendant greets you with a pair of macaws.

A beautiful pair of sun conures.

A green parrot

An enchanting black macaw

One of the red macaws there

A sulphur crested cockatoo

Why not take a ride on a pony (picture taken last 2008

Here comes one of my favorite areas. You get to feed the hungry guinea pigs for a fee. And when I say they are hungry and they will swarm you, take my word for it. It's like a zombie apocalypse! Well guinea pigs attack you but you get the idea.

The hungry seemingly docile horde

These guys sure are hungry

They are strong! They nearly pulled the carrot free from my hand. I'm glad the stick was wedged
in the carrot well!

The guinea horde swarm you.

Prices of guinea pig feeds

They also sell critters like hamsters, guinea pigs, and gerbils there. I would wish they hadn't since pet care doesn't stop at buying your pet, it involves so much more. And when you're caught in the excitement of feeding them, especially the kids, I can't help but thinking you'll regret purchasing one later on if you're not ready for their needs. Worst, they'll suffer for it. So please don't buy anything but think it over fully and research, don't rush, you can always head on over to Cartimar to make the purchase.

Gerbils for sale

Now with your feeding experience done, you can head on over to the bigger animals like horses, donkeys, and the stinky warthogs.

One of the many wooly horses

Some donkeys

Some big tortoises

A deer

a friendly wooly donkey

Some native pigs

warty pigs

More pigs

And even more pigs! is that you Pumbaa?

Wow! Albino carabaos

I have to admit, those pigs were S-T-I-N-K-Y STINKY! I didn't post some other pictures of them for fear that you'll smell them thru your monitor. But those Albino carabaos sure where special, aren't they?

Moving on, here are some white swans you'll see at Avilon as well as some other birds.

White swans in a pond. Truly Majestic!

Some other birds

Here are also some monkeys. You'll see this really friendly gibbon seemingly dancing on the walkway, sorry forgot her name and also this lazy orangutan.

The dancing gibbon

I waited for this guy to move for 20 mins and all he did was lay there
and look at me.

Gibbon with an attitude

You can now move on to the Sun Bear enclosure and yes you can feed them with Bananas :) I recommend watching them feed, I've never seen anything eat a banana that fast before!

A sun bear with his banana

You can also see some big cats here. All of them are pacing including the tigers, white tigers, and leopards. Others are laughing like the hyenas. But be careful, don't put your hand in between the cage openings or I'm sure you'll have a pretty bad time. One of them roared at us while we were taking pictures and I assure you it's nothing like the ones you hear on TV, we nearly jumped for fear he'll escape anytime!

Bengal Tiger?

A white tiger

A leopard

We also saw some wonderful birds. (btw, I've posted some pics of those I took when we went there back in 2008)

A bird, sorry don't know the name

One of the fastest land birds, the ostrich

Some doves in their house

Wonderful blue bird

The Kalaw or hornbill

A kingfisher

Once that's over you can go to the Arapaima feeding center and buy some chicken heads for feeding. I also recommend this activity, you'll experience just how powerful they are.

Throwing the chicken heads to hungry arapaimas

That's Php 20 per cup of chicken heads

Some hungry mouths to feed

Here are some of their lions. It's a treat to hear them ROAR!!!

The lions

Oh! And here's a picture of the lunch we head. Simply delicious especially if you've been walking around for hours.

Grilled delights!

Here are some of their snakes and tegus in their reptile enclosures.

A snake

This one's scary

A sunbathing Tegu

Now onto one of their newest areas, here you'll see Timon and the wonderfully cute prairie dog.

Here's the meerkat

The iconic meerkat pose, is Timon looking for Pumbaa?

A bat-eared fox

The prairie dog was actually burrowing that time and it was a fun thing to watch.

Whatcha lookin' at?

Come at me bro'. hahaha. This guy's cute!

Here's a tamarin monkey

You can also visit an eagle, an owl, and a hawk. The hawk reminds me of Dermott from the adventure series Sinbad while the owl kept on ignoring me. you can have your picture taken with them too

The eagle, hawk, and owl.

The sea eagle

The hawk

Bored and sleepy owl

You can also have a picture with the Orangutans and in the other area with some pythons/constrictors.

Dressed orangutan

I also saw some really cute Wallabys there, here's a snap!

The Wallaby

Here's the weird Malayan Tapir and some crocs.

Malayan Tapir

An Albino Croc

Another croc

That's a wrap! So, if you want to experience a different type of Zoo that's near the metro head on over to the Avilon Zoo. In case you're wondering, I've also posted details below of the Ark Avilon Zoo which is nearer. I'll also post a feature on Zoobic Safari once I've organized the pics. Thanks and see ya later!


Ark Avilon
Frontera Verde, Ortigas Avenue corner C-5,
Pasig City, Philippines
Tel. Nos.: (632) 706-2992, (632) 706-2993
Email: arkavilonzoo@gmail.com

A different way to fight Dengue: The Dengue Trap

I feel strongly about eradicating those pesky disease spreading mosquitoes. The usual culprit mentioned in Philippine news is the Aedes Aegypti mosquito and the usual preventive measure is to make sure there is no stagnant water lying around in your house where they could breed. Local Baranggays can also be seen to be conducting fumigating missions which unearth other critters like cockroaches.

Well, let me introduce a different way of fighting Dengue which has been propagated by the DOST and even mentioned in Philippine President PNoy's 2012 SONA (State Of the Nation Address). Being touted by the President in his SONA as being able to reduce the number of Dengue cases in Bukidnon last 2011 by 97%, this is indeed something to be used when fighting the deadly disease. The problem however is as with many things about our country, the Philippines, is that most things are slow. I've started searching for this famous Dengue Trap also called OviTrap or OL Trap (Ovicidal Larvicidal Trap) since way back 2010 if memory serves me right. That was back when it was first mentioned in the news and DOST said it would be available for purchase months later. But that didn't come and I wasn't able to find it being sold until just this July 2012 when my mom read in the newspaper that it was available at a store in Quezon City.

So there I was, I called the stores number and yes my call was answered. Introducing Czary Techno Industries. They are mentioned in the DOST page as a supplier for these OL Traps and located below is the story of how I came to buy from them and a whole lot more about this Dengue fighting machine.

OL Trap purchase

Location and contact details:
Czary Techno Industries
unit 203 LRI Bldg., # 21 Congressional Avenue,
Brgy. Bahay Toro, Quezon City (Near Visayas Ave.)
Tel. nos: (02) 921-8978/ (02) 579-9379
Telefax: (02) 921-3074
Mobile: 0916-464-9664


View Wornoutshu map in a larger map

Directions:
1. Get to Congressional Avenue either by riding the LRT up to the Roosevelt station or riding the MRT to the North Avenue station and riding another jeepney to Congressional Avenue. Either way, you should end up here.


View Wornoutshu map in a larger map

2. Walk towards the direction of S&R and when you hit the first corner (aka Abra street) you'll see a jeepney terminal where you can ride a jeepney which will take you to Congressional Avenue cor. Visayas Avenue. You'll have to buy tokens from the folks behind the table though, you can't pay the jeepney driver directly.

3. Before you cross Visayas Avenue, you'll see a aqua blue colored glass building (picture below). Get down  in front of it, walk up to the security guard and mention you're looking for Czary Techno Industries. He'll tell you to proceed up onto room 203 where they're located. As a sidenote, room 203 isn't actually on the 2nd floor of the building but on the third? Confusing I know but the actual 2nd floor lists room numbers 101, 102, etc. Weird...


Here's a look at the LRI building, as you can see, aqua blue glass building :-)

LRI Building. Home of Czary Techno Industries as can be seen from across Congressional Avenue.

Closer look of LRI Building. Some construction work going on beside them

An ad of Czary Techno Industries posted near LRI building

Sorry I didn't have my camera back then hence my pictures are not that good and the watermarks are not what they usually look like (a bit lazy today so didn't fix 'em). Also, pardon me if I didn't take any pictures inside their office, I forgot to with the excitement I felt in finally finding them and with all the discussions I had with their accomodating representative.

The office was a bit small and housed their display area as well as their warehouse since they're just a small company. The staff was very friendly though and was glad to share with me a short video of their product and answer any questions I had. He told me that they were planning to introduce the product to local supermarkets to get it to more Filipinos and even showed me the sample of that product. It looked like the lower half of a 1 ltr mineral water bottle painted black and came with 4 lawanit sticks and 4 Mosquito OL Trap pellets. Although appearing bigger than what they currently sell, he told me that they were the same, the other one just looking more commercial. It wasn't for sale though, only for display. He also mentioned that they are getting a lot of orders, a guy even bought around 1,500 units of their traps to distribute to his Barangay to fight dengue (wow, I wish I had that much to spend or even that guy in our Barangay. hahaha!).
After all that he proceeded to count my purchase of 10 units of traps and 200 units of the OL Trap pellets. They had to manually count those 200 pellets which according to him is quite a headache since pellets come in packs of 5000 per box.

Here's a picture of one unit of OL Trap. It consists of 1 tumbler, 1 lawanit stick, 4 sachets of OL pellets, and instruction manual. Each unit at the time of this writing costs Php 20.

1 unit of OL Trap

Here's a picture of the OL Trap pellets front and back. Each pellet sachet is good for 1 week. More on that later.

OL Trap pellet (Front)

OL Trap pellet (Back)

Take note that they only sell set units of OL Trap and the OL Trap pellets. They don't sell the tumblers or lawanit sticks separately, if you need these you can always improvise for the tumblers and buy the lawanit from your local hardware.

Here's a look at the instructions that come with the OL Trap.

OL Trap instructions

So, let me elaborate on how to use the trap with what I learned from the seller.

1. Take the tumbler and fill it with clean water up to the level, as indicated by a white line above the DOST logo.

OL Trap tumbler. White line indicating water level (about 250 ml)

2. Open 1 sachet of the OL Trap pellets and pour the contents into the tumbler with the water. No need to stir.

OL Trap pellets

3. Insert the lawanit stick, COARSE side UP. Don't put the smooth side up. As explained by the representative, this is where mosquitoes will lay some of their eggs (they prefer the coarse side). Don't worry if the upper side of the stick is dry since it is above the water level.

Lawanit stick (coarse side)

Lawanit stick (smooth side)

Proper placement of lawanit stick (COARSE side UP)

4. Place the prepared OL Trap low on the ground in a place that is dark and unreached by the sun and rain. Make sure too that it can't be reached by any of your children or pets (the representative reassured me that it is safe for pets and humans in the unlikely event that it is consumed and that you only need to drink lots of water in case you do accidentally drink it but do you really want to risk drinking it, worst still if it's already filled with gunk and mosquito larvae?). Also take care not to place it beside other water sources (i.e. places always wet, stagnant water in containers, aquariums? I've heard mosquitoes laid eggs even in running water now though I'm unsure since I've found none in my aquariums) where mosquitoes could lay eggs since this would defeat the purpose of the OL Trap as you'll find out later.

5. After a week, retrieve the trap. Check to see if there are any eggs inside the water. If you find any white substance on the stick itself, those are eggs, with a discarded toothbrush proceed to brush the eggs on the stick so that they drop into the water in the tumbler.

6. Dispose of the water with the eggs inside the tumber by pouring it over concrete or soil. Take care not to pour it down the drain or back to stagnant water as the eggs will still hatch to mosquitoes (the trap does not kill them but only attracts females to lay eggs there). You can also opt to pour hot water into the tumbler to kill the eggs for peace of mind.

7. Proceed to reset the trap with fresh water and a new sachet of OL Trap pellets.

Additional info:

1. The trap has a range of 50 meters. It will attract mosquitoes as long as they are within 50 meters of it.

2. The trap does not kill adult mosquitoes or the eggs they lay in the trap. It only attracts them to lay their eggs there so that you can dispose of them thereby killing off their kind since no new mosquitoes will get born. Consequently, if you neglect to kill the mosquitoes within 1 week and reset the trap, you will only be breeding mosquitoes. And, if you don't dispose of the water with the eggs properly, the same will be true.

3. Each OL Trap pellet sachet is good for 1 week. After which you have to change the old water and pellet solution.

There are different ways to get yourself set up with the OL Trap.
1. You can visit the Czary Techno Industries office in Quezon City (directions above)
2. Visit their outlet at Gate 4 of the DOST compound near SM Bicutan
3. Contact Czary Techno Industries and have them ship it to you via JRS (across their building). Of course you'd have to pay for shipping and they'd ship it only once you've deposited everything including payment for the actual items to their BDO account.

Where's JRS? This is a view of the stores directly across LRI building.

4. Contact the other provider mentioned in the DOST page comments (didn't get a chance to visit this place as it was far from me)

Heritage Veterinary Corporation
By-Pass road, Brgy. Guyong, Sta. Maria, Bulacan
Wireless No.: (02) 781-5034
Telefax No.: (044) 641-0833

Well that's it! I'll just update you on how this worked for me (set it up only last Thursday, July 26, 2012), so far I'm already seeing those mosquito eggs in their so it looks promising. :)

I sure hope that this post has proven useful in your fight against Dengue. If you have any comments/questions, please feel free to let me know via the comment box below or thru email!


Update 1: August 3, 2012

Well after a week of waiting. Here are the results.
1. The water inside the trap turned a yellowish/brownish color. I'm unsure if this is due to the OL Trap pellets or some other debris has gotten into the trap that caused it to go this color (it's been raining hard in manila causing floods and all, the wind is terrible and is blowing all manner of debris).

Yellowish/brownish water with a lot of debris

2. There were bits of undissolved OL trap pellets, some black debris, some white debris (I'd assume these are the mosquito eggs, and some muck. But I didn't see any larvae or as we call them "kiti-kiti" hatch yet.

Debris seen on the bottom with what appears to be mosquito eggs on right side

The sad thing is the number of mosquitoes in our house has increased considerably. Now, I am not sure if this is due to the trap attracting all of the mosquitoes in our vicinity (if this is the case then this is not recommended if you will be the only one in your barangay to use it) or if the rains had somehow caused them to increase in number in all areas, not just our house. In any case, I'll provide an update in the next post. Thanks for reading!