Residence Inn mini Zoo at Tagaytay

Residence Inn Mountain Resort and Zoo is small and more of a petting zoo. At the entrance, they sell fresh fruits and other food that the animals eat … the animals that could be fed that is.

Parrots and cockatoos are the first animals you’d see. Some of the birds are actually out of the cage – tied loosely to their perches. Visitors can take pictures with these animals.

Past the grotto, you’ll find the monkeys and apes.

This is one agitated monkey. It screams at you when you stare at it too long.

This zoo actually surrounds Residence Inn. Personally, I wouldn’t choose staying at an inn which is in the middle of a zoo. How much sleep can one get if you could hear the growling of the big cats, chirping of the noisy cockatoos/parrots, and the noise the hyperactive monkeys make? Maybe the air conditioned rooms filter out the sound… maybe.

The last time I visited a zoo was when I was doing a paper for Ecology during my college freshman year and had to go to the Manila zoo. I found the place depressing because I think the big animals do not have enough space to stretch out/roam in their cages.

The animals’ quarters are much smaller in Residence Inn.

The rooster and the peacock roam the place freely – they didn’t need cages.

The hen roamed freely too. The pony was tied and kids can have their picture taken with him.

Seeing the llamas made me think of the Sims2 computer game.

At a lower level were bigger cages. Sam and I were both afraid of the steep hillside stairs that we never got past the owl cage.

Near the entrance is the building where the reptiles and fishes are.

This snake looked bored.

This fish has an odd hump at the back.

A tiger cub is also at the entrance … but visitors must pay to take pictures of the tiger. If you do pay, the handler allows you to have your picture taken holding the cub.