Why should you go there and how do you do it right?

The free entry is the first surprise, for both Thais and foreigners. The second is how close you can get to the animals. For 50 baht, you buy a bucket of vegetables at the entrance, and the deer do the rest. This is why families with small children often spend an hour looking at something else. Besides the deer, there are gibbons in large enclosures, a crocodile pool, numerous birds, and binturongs, which, as everyone knows, smell like buttered popcorn. There's a souvenir shop and snacks, and plenty of parking.

Now for the honest part. This is a breeding and rehabilitation center, not a glitzy zoo, and standards vary from enclosure to enclosure. Some monkey cages are spartan and sparsely populated. More seriously, however, visitors repeatedly complain about a young elephant that is chained up and performs tricks for the guests. Some find this the highlight of their day, others feel uncomfortable. If the welfare of the elephants is important to you, you should be aware of this.