Visitors to Dusit Zoo on this long weekend will be taken back in time to the 1930s when the facility opened to the public. This back-to-the-beginning retrospective is part of the zoo's celebration of its 75th anniversary.
A boy watches a tiger at Dusit Zoo, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. THANARAK KHOONTON
Dusit Zoo, better known as "Khao Din Wana", was opened on March 18, 1938, during the reign of King Rama VIII.
Dusit Zoo was the first zoo in Thailand and has since become a must-go place for almost every Thai kid.
To allow the younger generation to get an idea of what their favourite zoo was like 75 years ago, the Zoological Park Organisation (ZPO) has organised a retrospective to showcase the life of Thai people of seven decades ago.
"We would like to showcase the atmosphere of the 1930s when the zoo was established," Wisid Wichasilpa, the ZPO deputy director said.
The 118-rai Dusit zoo is full of history. It has served as a recreational retreat for many generations of people. It has witnessed many social and political changes and even war.
The passage of time is well defined by historical landmarks within the zoo's confines, for example, the bunker which was built during World War II, an ancient glass house built in the reign of King Rama VII, and a teak tree jointly planted by King Rama V and the Prince of Denmark to celebrate relations between the two countries.
During the three-day event, visitors can enjoy various kinds of special events which were popular at the beginning, such as old-styled Ferris wheels. There will also be an exhibition of items that Thai people used in the past and light-and-sound cultural performances.
The event will be held from today to Monday, from 10am to 10pm.
Vet Wisid, who has been working at Dusit Zoo for more than 30 years, said he had seen many changes to the facility, but one that stood out was a major facelift that took place in 1992 during the Banharn Silpa-archa administration, which allocated about 300 million baht for renovations.
"[Under the 1992 renovation project], the animals' compounds were redesigned and rebuilt to look more natural and to allow visitors to get a better view of the animals," he said. "Improving animal living conditions was the main focus of the renovation."
There are currently about 1,600 animals at the zoo with "Mali", a 45-year-old hippopotamus, a long-time star.
Mr Wisid said the zoo gets about 2.5 million visitors each year, making it one of the few zoos in the world to achieve more than one million visitors per annum.
Dusit Zoo official Phaichit Ditphon, 53, said the zoo is so much more "modern" than when he started working there 30 years ago.
"There was nothing much at the zoo at that time and there were far fewer trees than there are now," he said.
Asked about how he wanted the zoo to be improved, Mr Phaichit said sign posts and information signs should be written in neighbouring countries' languages since there was expected to be an influx of regional visitors to the zoo after the launch of the Asean Community in 2015.
However, he did not support adding more animals to the zoo's list as the premises are located within the city and had limited space.
It was better to keep the animals at open zoos or zoos in other provinces which have more room, he added.
Another zoo keeper, Boonmee Keawsaituam, 46, who has been in charge of the reptiles and amphibians section for 21 years, said he was happy working at the zoo.
"I never liked wild animals until I was assigned to take care of them," he said. "Now I know everything about them - what they like and dislike and how they behave."
"Khao Din is an excellent place for relaxation," said zoo visitor Nopharat Thongphor, 34, who came to the zoo with her son and daughter.
Children can learn many things at the zoo. Unlike department stores, the zoo helps educate kids and allows family members to spend time together in a green environment.
"My kids love visiting the zoo because they are interested in wildlife and since the zoo is located in the city, we find it easy to come here," she said.
University student Kittinan Parnmak, 21, said Khao Din was one of his favourite places because it was entertaining and relaxing to watch the animals.
The park-like atmosphere at the zoo made it a nice place for youths to hang out with friends or even a date, he said.
Mr Kittinan, however, said he would like to see more kinds of animals at the zoo.
Waraporn Champa, 17, from Bangkok's Bang Sue district, asked zoo visitors to help take care of the facility and help keep the place clean.
"There has been a lot of rubbish at the zoo recently. It's not as beautiful and clean as before," she complained.
Actor Pakorn Chatboriruk, 29, said when he was young, his parents brought him to the zoo many times as it was a good educational and recreational place.
There are many shopping malls in Bangkok and Dusit Zoo was not as popular as before, Mr Pakorn said.
"I would like Bangkokians to go to the zoo because it builds up family relationships and is a place to relax," he added.