My Zoo Volunteer
By: John Neil N. Sangalang

"Nay, punta lang ako sa Manila Zoo, mag-vovolunteer ako" John
"Bakit papa-swelduhin ka ba dun?" my nanay
"Volunteer nga eh" John

"Pre, sama ka sa akin sa Manila Zoo, volunteer tayo sa MyZoo" John
"Ha ha ha ha (he laugh sarcastically) Pre ano na naman ba yang gimik mo, may bundok ka na, ngayon Manila Zoo naman. Gaya ng pag-akyat mo sa bundok, wala akong mapapala dyan, pagod lang yan. Matutulog na lang ako sa bahay." a friend

"Ayoko, gastos lang yan saka dami na akong schedule this summer and every weekend eh." some officemates

What's wrong with them? I asked myself. If every Filipno thinks this way, I said to myself... "Wala ngang mangyayari sa Pinas kung puro sarili na lang ang iisipin natin".
Wait... but where is Manila Zoo?!?!. To be honest I really don't know how to get there, it's been 10 years or more since my last visit to the zoo, the last zoo I visited was Singapore Zoo last year. Ok I just took a taxi and went to the zoo anyway. Now I know it's just near Harrison Plaza !!!!. Ok let's get into business now...

First issue.....Volunteer work.

Yes, we don't get paid to do this job. We only get a free entrance to the zoo, some discounts in the canteen & join activities of the group. We even get maligned and cursed by some of the visitors because we simply tell them to "Stop feeding the animals".

Can we blame the people for this? or should we blame the government for lack of education program about the zoo?
What can you expect? It’s a public zoo, run and operated by the city government.

For me absolutely nothing has changed from my last visit. In fact, I think things have actually turned for the worse. The cages are smaller than I can remember. They looked like mental patients or very disturbed prisoners locked in solitary confinement, and worst of all.... no more giraffes to feed.

The picture below used to be the home of the Giraffe in Manila Zoo.

Giraffe already died because of improper feeding by park visitors. They found lots of plastic bags on it's throat and stomach.

Another sad story in the zoo is Nancy, a silverback chimp and I believe the only chimp in the zoo went insane. Why? you are asking why? did you know that humans and chimps have the same mental capacity and same emotions? imagine yourself being locked up most of your life in a small cage and nothing to do and all alone?

Sample Monkey cage in Manila Zoo.

Monkeys in Singapore Zoo.

See the difference? see how the monkeys in Singapore zoo can interact with humans and how they live closely to their natural environment? Hey that's me.... that's not a monkey :-)

Can't blame Nancy if she bangs her head always on the rails of her cage.

What can I get from this volunteer work?

Well, apart from the experience of close encounters with the animals in the zoo, I also get educated with the individual characteristics and behaviors of these animals, in return I can educated zoo visitors about the animals. I'm already a nature lover but this experience made me appreciate nature a notch higher. If you don't care about animals or about our nature, you will never understand everything I'm saying here or the feeling of satisfaction in doing volunteer work.

Gastos lang yan saka nakakapagod!

Yup true volunteers are required a P250 membership fee for one whole year. What! P250 you are doing volunteer work na nga tapos magbabayad ka pa?
Please think of the effort of the organizers in training and preparing the new volunteers. They have lots of projects and they get their funds from this annual membership, grants and donations only.

Nakakapagod- yup it's true again.... but as I told you earlier, we are not being forced to work here as a slave, it's your own free will if you want to be a volunteer or not. But let me tell you after a day of volunteer work and you see your club/organization succeed in it's mission and also receive several awards, all those hardships and perspiration seems to be forgotten and all you ever think about is the fruit of your success.

lastly, if you ever see me inside Manila zoo and told you "NOT TO FEED THE ANIMALS", please don't curse me or get angry with me... i'm just doing my job as a VOLUNTEER.

*** Special Thanks to the following ***

Miss Kitty Arce- Thanks for the oppotunity to join your group

Andrew - He's like the "Reptile Man" I always watched on discovery and animal channel. Thanks for the educational tour in the zoo, I learn a lot from you.

Gen and the Anton - Thanks for the orientation, kahit ako na lang mag-isa... kasi late ako :-)

Other members of MyZOO- Thanks for being friendly and supportive to new members like me.

John (zildjohn)

See other My Zoo pics

See my other pics in Singapore zoo