There are plentiful of dog and cat cafes in Bangkok and today, let's go for something more diverse; the little zoo cafe. Well, just to make it clear; you wouldn't get to see any lion, tiger or elephant here.
Board outside that listed the animals you would get to see that day. It's not comprehensive although what you see on the board is the one that would attract people; i.e. fennec fox.
Rules to note! One line mentioned you might get scratches when you play with the animals which is something really oxymoron yet people will still complain; to put it in perspective, a toddler might bite without warning too and you have a choice not to step into the cafe.
First thing that greeted us; the friendly corgis! There were about four and they were free to roam around with their short legs and wobbly butts.
Main counter on the ground level; there's a cover charge (350 baht an adult / 290 baht a child) which includes drink, a pair of socks and dessert (or toy). Since we are no longer kids, guess we would make do without the toy.
For your reference.
On the ground level, you would also see cages housing hedgehogs, skinny pig (a hairless species under the guinea pig) and hamsters. Latter two were not included in the board i shared earlier.
Socks are needed as you are required to remove your shoes and put them on the shoe rack. That's quite common in animal cafes so please do not insist on wearing an expensive pair of shoes in case you have a nagging worry that it might get lost / stolen.
Let's climb up the stairs to the second floor!
Yes, that's the cockatoo but knowing parrots are smart creatures with a mood of their own (not to mention their beaks have the ability to take a chunk off your finger); i am happy to leave it alone.
An almost full view of the second floor; the cafe area with tables and chairs; two enclosed rooms and another elevated platform seating.
Placing this on our table so that the server would know where to send the food and drinks. Payment is made beforehand and unlike places like Mohu Mohu Cat Cafe, there didn't appear to be a time limit.
Platform area where you are required to sit cross-legged; the least preferred seating for me as i am prone to numbness and dislike the pins and needles feel! There's a small animal here; the sleeping meerkat!
Well, no longer sleeping 40 minutes later.
In case you are wondering if everything is caged up and behind glass enclosures where you can't even get close; you can actually request to touch them through the staff members on duty.
Corgi again! Do you know that i have always wanted to have a corgi as i think their personality is like me; always so cheerful. And physically, i have short legs like them too; my butt doesn't shake that much though. Hahah.
An animal i am well acquainted with; to the extent that it kick-started my knowledge for pets and i even managed to breed two litters despite their apparent difficulty in thriving in our hot and humid Singapore weather.
The chinchillas! They were adorable and super clean animals; those looking to elevate from keeping hamsters can consider chinchillas. Their only problem; they gnaw a lot!
Another hedgehog cage on top of the chinchilla cage.
Our cakes and drinks! The banana chocolate cake was pretty good. Other than that, the rest were pretty normal; well, the key to stepping into an animal cafe is never on the food and drinks anyway.
Proceeding to the enclosed room with the warning "do not enter without staff". What animal lurk within? There were two on duty and the first one was the.....
Raccoon! I have never seen one so near me and instinctively, one hand reached out to have a feel of its fur; fluffy and surprisingly, not as smelly as i assumed it would be.
Fat and active; it was just walking all over the place and didn't give us a second hoot. Guess it has been quite accustomed to the human presence and wasn't the ultra-friendly / playful type.
Appreciated the help from the staff who knows how to stop the raccoon! Guess it likes to drink water. Most of us would have resorted to treats which is honestly not a good method as it would disrupt the animal's diet.
Second animal on duty - the arctic fox! Wait, isn't arctic fox pure white? According to Wikipedia (don't you just love it), arctic fox comes in two colours; white and blue with the former taking up 99% of the population!
So the blue arctic fox is the rarer cousin although i initially thought it was more a kind of dog / wolf. By the way, the "fur of the Arctic Fox provides the best insulation of any mammal".
One of the corgis squeezed into the room and started monkeying around with the arctic fox. Hm.... not sure if there are any incident of inter-breeding; genetically might not be possible though.
The corgi was a better model for posing.
Coming to the last enclosed room which was further separated into two spaces. It was a room that would generate the following questions from the kids; "aren't dogs and cats supposed to be enemies"?
It's an arena where cats and dogs played together!
More photos for your viewing pleasure; it's obvious that the dogs are like playful, noisy boys whereas the cats are the mature, quiet girls who think the boys are simply immature!
One thing that irked me; not so much about the management of the animals or hygiene standards. It's the customers. There were number of kids and one teenager particularly stood out as he was tangling his earphones and enticing the chihuahua to catch it. Hey boy, that's not a toy even though deep in my heart, i sure wish the dog crush the earphones!
Humongous, lopped ear rabbit! With all the barking, i wonder if it would be stressed out. Chinchillas, for one, are known to be scaredy cats and it's possible for them to die of shock in noisy environment.
Fennec Fox - with its interestingly large ears and deep set black eyes, this is one beautiful animal that belongs rightfully in myths and legends!
Surprisingly, it's bred "commercially as an exotic house pet" and the conservation status is "least concerned"; meaning there are plenty of them in the world. Unlike the chinchillas / dogs / cats, their meat is not favored as food for humans.
Friendly staff came over with the cockatoo so that we can interact correctly under her direction! Pity, the pinkish cockatoo (if i recall correctly, the name is the Thai word for mother) doesn't quite like me.
Nevertheless, self taking time with the animals! See the animosity between the cockatoo and i; it was trying its best to move to another person. Was i smelly???
Leaving after about an hour in the Little Zoo Cafe.
Plastic bags were available for you to keep the socks which were technically paid by you. You can also use the roller to remove the pets' fur from your clothes.
My socks were full of fur!!!!!
Guess what i did with them eventually?
Saying goodbyes to the two sleeping corgis; pretty good life they have! Air-conditioned working environment with plenty of love from customers.
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Address
424/7 Siam square, Rama I Rd, Khwaeng Pathum Wan,
Khet Pathum Wan, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10330,
Bangkok, Thailand
Location Map
As above.
Pricing
Adult - 350 baht
Child -290 baht
(inclusive of entry, drink, socks, dessert / toy)
Payment Terms
Cash only.
Drinks Menu
As above.
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