Adventurous couples Louie Bacalso and Jeahlyn Monteza (left) of Talisay City and Winston G. De los Santos and Mary Rosalind of barangay Suba, Cebu City carry two Burmese pythons in the city zoo for a different kind of Valentine date. If they lie down on the bamboo slats, they can also get a snake massage. (CDN Photo/Junjie Mendoza
Free reptile ‘massage’ draws international attention, more visitors to Cebu city zoo
Some people refuse to go anywhere near snakes. In my book that makes them smart people. But there’s one in the Philippines who is doing something unique to help people overcome their snake fear.”
So goes the opening spiel of CNN anchorman Jonathan Mann as he introduces a clip showing a woman getting a “massage” from at least four full-grown Burmese pythons lying on top of her.
The spine-tingling footage was taken at the Cebu City Zoo, which continues to draw visitors eager to try a “snake massage.”
Japanese, Korean and local visitors flocked to the zoo for a different kind of Valentine’s Day yesterday.
Aside from animal encounters, the top draw remains the close encounter with pythons, which was featured on the front page of Cebu Daily News in its Nov. 28, 2013 issue.
Since then, visitors – including foreign and local media – have come to the zoo to get a reptilian thrill which has bolstered Cebu’s image as a destination of adventure and surprises.
The CNN feature clip was uploaded on the video sharing site YouTube in May 2014 titled “Scared of Snakes? Try a python massage.” It has been viewed 12,455 times as of last night. Other amateur videos of the snake massage have helped promote the Cebu City zoo attraction,said zoo manager Giovannie Romarate.
Romarate said that when CNN anchor Anderson Cooper made an unannounced visit, he didn’t recgonize him and thought the tall blond foreigner with a cameraman was just another tourist.
“ We only found out that he was actually one of our visitors when we saw the news come out,” Romarate said.
The international exposure, including a feature on BBC, has helped promote the zoo, said Romarate.
The zoo has an average of 100 visitors on lean months. The number doubles or triples during holidays and special occasions like Valentine’s Day.
For a fee of P10 for children and P25 for adults, visitors can view different caged animals or hold picnics in tree houses.
Bonding Area
Couple Alice and Antio Ibon took their daughter Liza Anne, 5, to the zoo yesterday. The family from barangay Guadalupe is among the zoo’s regular visitors.
Antonio, 56, said they come for a breath of fresh air. They had their last visit in December.
“ Suroy usa mi aron mag bonding before mag-lunch,” said Alice, 48.
Louie Bacalso and Jeahlyn Monteza of barangay Lagtang in Talisay City and their friends Winslow delos Santos and Mary Rosalind Abad of barangay Suba in Cebu City spent most of their visit with the zoo’s Burmese pythons. They had their pictures taken with pythons Michelle and EJ on their laps.
A group of Japanese tourists went to see the crocodiles.
Valentine decor was set up for couples looking for a dating place and families who want to hold picnics.
Heart-shaped red paper cut-outs hung on tree branches or were attached to sticks to adorn plans.
The welcome board reads “Happy Valentine’s Day”. Three hawk eagles are placed on stands close to the welcome sign for photo opportunities with visitors.
As early as 9 a.m., couples, groups of friends and families started arriving. The zoo has birds, crocodiles, rabbits and a lone deer. Monkeys stay in tree branches attached by a chain.
Attraction
The Cebu City zoo sits on a 7-hectare lot in Beverly Hills. It used to have Bengal tiger “Boggart” as its main attraction. When “Boggart” died in mid-2013, Romarate said he thought of using their snakes for a new offering.
They placed their pythons Michelle (87 kilos), Walter (76 kilos), EJ (39 kilos) and Daniel (24 kilos) on display on a bamboo bed near the zoo’s main entrance.
Romarate owns Michelle and Walter. He brought them to the zoo when he became manager in 2007.
For the massage, the snakes are placed on top of a vistor’s body as he or she lies on the bamboo slats. The snakes are allowed to slowly crawl over the visitor for 10 to 15 minutes.
The exotic massage is free of charge.
“We just want them to experience what it’s like to be massaged by snakes. People think they are harmful. They may be shiny but they are not slimy. There is nothing to fear for as long as they are trained snakes,” he said.
Romarate said their snake massage is now a hit among foreign tourists visiting from Brazil, Lithuania, Japan, USA, Canada, Tajikistan and Thailand.
Difficulties
The less rosy picture of the zoo has to do with financial restraints and delayed salaries.
The staff of 20 is made up of four casual workers including Romarate and 16 job order workers. At present the temporary workers work on a voluntary basis. They haven’t been paid salaries since last month.
“I was told that there is no allocation for job order workers,” said Romarate.
He and three other casual workers agreed to merge their salaries and divide the amount among the 20 of them.
A P10 million annual budget for the zoo is spent mostly for maintenance. The zoo also receives donations of meat and feeds from private donors for the animals. “But there is nothing for our job order workers,” he said.