THAILAND / KENYA: Construction of Thailand's new night safari park continues as controversy simmers over plans to import Kenyan wildlife

Construction of Thailand's first night safari park is continuing in the northern city of Chiang Mai as the country steps up its efforts to attract the tourist dollar. Worth an estimated Bt. 1.4 billion ($34.21 million), the park is expected to open for the Thai lantern festival of Loy Krathong on November 16. million visitors a year and create thousands of local jobs. The ambitious project is part of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's push to develop his home town into a regional tourist centre, with plans already underway to build another elephant park, health spa, and a number of five star hotels around Chiang Mai. Boasting some 1500 domestic and foreign animals, the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry say they are confident of stealing tourists away from Singapore's famous night safari tour. "We are bigger, more beautiful, more animals, best restaurant. That's only night safari," said Dr. Plodprasop Suraswadi, Vice-Minister of the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry. But the park has been courting controversy with its plans to import a number of exotic animals from Kenya. The African nation had agreed to ship dozens of animals, including zebras, giraffes and lions, to the night safari but green groups staged angry protests in capital Nairobi condemning the move. While the Kenyan government is currently reviewing its decision, environmentalists have called on authorities to drop the proposal which would see up to 300 animals, including rare species of white rhino, leopards and spotted hyenas, being exported to Thailand. Elizabeth Wamba from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) in Kenya says the group is seriously concerned about whether the animals will survive the long journey to Thailand and how they will be treated in their new home. "We know from 1970's wildlife in Kenya has been declining and mainly due to poaching, due to habitat loss and also due to land use changes that have been occurring since then so its not a matter of saying that we have too many wildlife here in Kenya," said Wamba, IFAW communications officer. Wamba admits any moves by the Kenyan government to export its wildlife would set a dangerous precedent and encourage other countries to import African animals, a suggestion the Thai government rejects. "So, if there is African animals in other place so what's the difference, you know, that we're having. But as a matter of fact, we have all kinds of African animal in Thailand for centuries," said Plodprasop. With tensions running high on both sides, it is unclear whether visitors will see Kenyan animals at the Chiang Mai Night Safari when it opens. Thai authorities say 70 percent of the animals will come from Thailand itself but refused to disclose which other countries they are negotiating with to import species they can't source locally.

ITN Source | September 30, 2005

Tags:. .matter. .billion. .survive. .agreed. .worth