Khao Kheow Zoo, Chonburi, Thailand

It was supposed to be a birthday party just like any other: The candles were light; the cake, covered in white frosting, was put on the table in front of the approving smiles of the twin one-year-old babies; the well-wishers gathered closer. Then suddenly, one of the birthday girls raised her trunk and bellowed out loudly as the other one tried to jump over the small fence that surrounded them. Thus begun the celebrations at the elephants' birthday party.

Normally, people don't arrange parties and order cakes for elephants when they have birthdays, but this was a special occasion. This was the first birthday of Jum and Jim, two adorable twin elephants, who had beaten the odds by living long enough to see the lighting of two candles on a birthday cake. And the officials at Khao Kheow Zoo in Sriracha District in Cholburi province were so pleasantly surprised by the survival of the pachyderms that they decide to go all out to celebrate the event.

The reason that everyone was so surprised that the elephants had made it through their first year safely was because twin elephants almost always die within a few weeks after being born. Female elephants normally have only one child, and the metabolisms of mother elephants are geared for producing only enough milk for that lone offspring. Therefore, when a female gives birth to twins, the mother must somehow increase her food intake so that she can produce enough milk for both offspring. If she can not receive enough nutrition, both she and the offspring will become ill. This is exactly what happened to Jum and Jim and their mother, Phang Lamduan.

The owner of the elephants decided to take them from their home in Kanchanaburi Province and move them to the zoo in March of this year. Luckily, the doctors at the zoo were able to treat the animals' illnesses in time, and after a while the trio became healthy and strong. Now, everyone at the zoo expects the elephants to have many, many more birthdays.

Another reason that the elephants are so special is because they are the first pair of twins that have been born in Thailand in over 200 years. And they are both girls, which is far rarer than the usual pairing of one male and female.

The elephants are only allowed visitors on Saturdays and Sundays, since they need to rest during the rest to the week in order to get their strength up. But the zoo has many other attractions that are waiting to satisfy any visitor on any day. And with over two hundred other species of animals and 4,400 birds to keep the twins company at the zoo, there is plenty of other wildlife to be appreciated.

The Khao Kheow Open Zoo is located in the rolling hills of Bang Phra Precinct, and it is spread out over 2,000 acres of land. Since the place is so large, visitors are allowed to bring their own cars and motorbikes into the zoo so as to more easily cover the grounds. It's better to park the car and bring a good pair of walking shoes instead, as the lanes for the autos are too far away from the areas that the animals are kept in to allow any 3 thing more than an obscured fleeting glimpse.

During the rainy season, there is a steady breeze that flows down from the surrounding hills and cools the zoo, and high overhead there are many large waterfowl soaring back and forth upon this breeze. These birds have taken up permanent residence in one of the two reservoirs that straddle the zoo, and they number in the thousands.

Enter the front gate to the zoo and take a left down the gently sloping hill. Keep following further to the left to reach a wooden pavilion overlooking a large lake. Paddle boats, in the shape of huge swans, are tied up at the banks of the lake, waiting for fun seekers.

Head back up the hill and veer to the right and monkey island should come into view. Although the island is rather small and only has three gibbons, there is always a smiling and laughing crowd of people gathered around the island. Why? Because there are no cages around the island to block your view of the playful simians as they whip themselves around the tree line. The residents have become quite the showman, with swinging, wrestling and tackling the highlights on the playbill. Bring a video camera and a little bit of patience and you won't be disappointed by their antics.

Walk past the careening gibbons and follow the stream of butterflies heading into the gardens. Red, yellow, orange and violet flowers all rise up from a vast green lawn that is at least the size of a football field. The large trees that line the edges of the garden provide plenty of shade, making it one of the ideal places here to have a picnic.

Just past the garden is a large caged off area where many deer are kept. It's worth a quick visit, as the deer appear to be longing for attention. However, on the opposite side of the zoo is the open deer park, where there are no fences to stop you from getting as close as you want to the deer. Both children and adults that come to the petting zoo here seem to get a big kick out of feeding the animals.

From this end of the zoo, walk back towards the center and then follow the lane that curves to the left. Cut across the lawn and it wont be long till you reach a few of the restaurants that operate in the zoo. They aren't anything spectacular, but if you're exhausted from all the hiking, well, any port in a storm will do. The pleasant surprise about the stands is that their prices haven't been jacked up to take advantage of their virtual monopoly.

After refueling and stocking up on potential animal chow, follow the piercing screams that sound distinctly like cats being tortured and you can't miss the pool full of screeching sea otters. A couple of large signs over their pool read "Don't tick off the animals," and after listening to a few choruses of their complaining it's entirely too easy to understand why the placards were installed. Adorable looking they are, but quite possibly the shrillest beasts on the planet.

One of the most visited exhibits at the zoo is the mammoth-size walk-through aviary. Covering an area of two acres, it is claimed by the zoo to be one of the largest in the world. Designed to resemble natural surroundings, the aviary has small 3 waterfalls as well as lush trees and cool ponds. The over 100 species of birds from all over the world have become quite accustomed to human visitors, so anyone who takes the time to sit still for a minute will have many a curious fowl coming close to investigate.

The Khao Kheow Open Zoo is open everyday from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM and is located 8 kilometers east of the newly constructed Highway 36 and can be reached by car by turning left at either the 11 or the 14 kilometer markers and following the large signs. Alternatively, transportation can be arranged from the city of Sri Racha, which is about 20 kilometers away by road. Admission fees are 20 baht for adults and 5 baht for children, regardless of your nationality. There is an additional charge of 20 baht for those who bring their cars into the compound and ten baht for those with motorcycles.