Why do birds suddenly…

CHECKING out the shops at airports is always a great way to waste time while waiting for your flight.

There used to be this nice shop at Mactan airport before its renovation to the current look. It sold wallets, kikay kits, and bags made of recycled rice sacks and juice box, and I now have a collection of the wallets.

There’s a new arrangement of stores at the airport now, and some new tenants. One of them happens to be selling those recycled items, but they had only two wallets, both of them green. I wanted something red and/or yellow so I could easily find the wallet in case I need it.

It was at Cebu Safari and Adventure Park where I did buy souvenirs because it’s not the kind of place I’d return to soonest. After all, I wanted to see the lions only—once I saw them, my tour was complete. My friend’s hubby commented, Look at the lions, no 10,000 steps a day. They were simply sleeping, lying down, doing nothing, looking so bored despite our presence. And yet, they’re the kings of the jungle.

I guess cats are lazy by nature, no matter how big or small they are. The tigers were also sleeping or lying down until caretakers threw meat at the ground next to the floor-to-ceiling glass window where tourists could have photo ops with them. But they refused to approach the window. Because of ants. Who knew tigers hate ants? The Park didn’t earn more from the photos they could have sold at P250 each.

The snakes were sleeping, too. It was after lunch—siesta time for everyone.

One of the facts I learned from the tour guide: zebras are black with white stripes, and not white with black stripes. And I still remember this despite my brain fog, no thanks to all the carbs and sweets I was feasting on the moment I arrived in Cebu. But most of the time, all I could understand was the guide’s “Mam, Ser” as she named the animals until I heard the word “eland.” At least that sounded familiar. But where was the eland? There were several animals in that particular area and they all looked like deer.

“The Lion King” was mentioned upon reaching the wildebeests. In case you haven’t watched the animated and live versions of the movie, the wildebeests were kind of responsible for… Uh, spoiler alert. Two characters: Mufasa and Scar. The bad things people do to people they hate. Tsk tsk.

I had fun with the sanganoors—birds, actually—that pecked at my Cebu Safari hat’s thread and stitched logo. Who knew they love to eat thread? The things we learn on safaris. Gave a whole new meaning to “Why do birds suddenly appear.” They didn’t “long to be close to” me. They were simply craving for the thread.

The bird show was fun to watch—the birds were so cute and huge, and they were all intelligent. And you don’t have to make a wild guess on where their trainer is from—Singapore, of course. Singapore’s Jurong Bird Park closed on January 3, 2023, though, and its birds would be relocated to the Mandai Wildlife Reserve.