Throngs of animal lovers yesterday flocked to Dusit Zoo or Khao Din Wana to bid a final farewell to the country's first public zoological park.
On its last day of service, the zoo saw an unusually high number of visitors who came to recall memories of the site that has served visitors for more than eight decades. The gates opened for the last time at 8am and closed at 6pm.
Among the sea of visitors was Boonchuay Ratchasarn, a 76-year-old Bangkokian. Dusit Zoo, he said, is more than just a zoo, but a place full of memories for many people.
"I still remember the first time I came here. It was in 1947 and I was around seven or eight years old. My grandfather took me here and allowed me to draw pictures of animals the whole day. I was very happy. And you know what? I did the same for my grandkids as I am a grandfather now," he said.
Mr Boonchuay said he understood the zoo's pending relocation to a bigger place outside Bangkok will be good for its animals, but cannot help but feel a bit of sadness over the zoo's closure.
"The new location is too far away and too inconvenient for an old man like me. So, I came here to bid this place farewell. I wrote poems for each animal and made a rough drawing of them to keep the good memories alive," he said while showing his sketchbook.
Staff members at Dusit Zoo perform a wai to show gratitude to visitors as Dusit Zoo, the country's first and most popular public zoo, closed for good at 6pm yesterday after being a huge attraction for 80 years.
Somsak Vaynaiyakup, 78, and Soypetch Vaynaiyakup, 76, a couple in Bangkok who have been married for almost 50 years, said Khao Din has a special place in their hearts as it was where they met each other for the first time.
"About 54 years ago, I met a beautiful girl at the zoo and she is now my wife, so when I heard that the zoo was closing permanently, my wife and I came to bid this place farewell," Mr Somsak said.
Ms Soypetch said Khao Din is a major recreational site for the public, especially those who live in Bangkok and its surrounding areas. It also serves as a key green area, or lung for the city, so she hoped that such a legacy will remain even after the zoo is gone.
Unlike many visitors who have fond memories of the zoo, Naiyanate Yimprasert, 56, said yesterday was her first visit. Her family travelled from Nakhon Pathom's Sam Phran district to bid farewell to the zoo on its last day of service.
"It'll be my first and last time visiting here. I just want my one-year-old grandson to know when he grows up that once in his life, he visited this historical zoo," she said.
Prasit Boonmapila, 51, a lion caretaker at the zoo, said although he was sad to move away from Dusit Zoo, he believed the new zoo will be better for the animals as it will be larger.
"As a zookeeper, my main concern was the animals. I go where my lions are, but all good memories here will remain forever in my heart," he said.
Dusit Zoo was built by King Rama V and was the first zoo to be built in Thailand.
King Ananda Mahidol (King Rama VIII) opened the facility to the public in 1938 and, as of last year, it was drawing over two million visitors a year and generating 150 million baht in revenue.
Apart from observing various species of animals, visitors over the years could ride a paddle boat on the lake, jump on the zoo's small train, or listen to zoo staff lecture about the animals as the rail cars rolled by the enclosures.
Under the plan, the zoo will be relocated to a new 300-rai home in Klong 6, Pathum Thani's Thanyaburi district, which is three times the size of the present zoo.
The land was given to the government by His Majesty the King. Construction of the zoo is expected to begin next year and the opening is planned in the next three years.
The 1,000-plus animals inhabiting the zoo will be relocated temporarily to six public zoos in Chon Buri, Chiang Mai, Nakhon Ratchasima, Songkhla, Ubon Ratchathani and Khon Kaen for three years until the construction of a new zoo at Klong 6 in Pathum Thani province is complete.
While most of the zoo's 300 employee's will retain their jobs, all have been ordered to move along with the animals -- initially to temporary facilities and then to Pathum Thani.
Over the past month, Dusit Zoo has seen attendance figures increase to almost double at times as people treasure its last moments at its current location.
The Zoological Park Organisation originally planned to shut the popular attraction at the end of August, but decided to defer the closure for another month to give animal lovers more time to experience an institution that has long memories for many.
The move came after many people had posted messages on the zoo's Facebook account.