subject: The Million Years Stone Park & Pattaya Crocodile Farm by:Paromita Banerjee [print this page] The Pattaya Crocodile Farm & the Million Years Stone Park is exactly what its name suggests. The crocodile farm is one of kind farm teeming with crocodiles and the stone park contains ancient tree trunks predicted to be more than a million years old.
Located on an over-70-acre piece of land just 15 minutes' drive from Pattaya, this Park & Farm is a new striking tourist attraction created with more than 20 years' efforts, for all nature lovers.
The Million Years Stone Park and Crocodile Farm was founded by Khun Suan Phanomwattanakul, a businessman who loves nature and has a life objective to preserve the beautiful nature and fine culture of Thailand.
For over 30 years since his youth, Khun Suan had made every effort to collect natural objects that are valuable because of their rarity or oddity. Thai-style trained trees that are more than 200 years old from the early Rattanakosin period, fossilized tree trunks that are aged millions of years, and colorful stratified rocks. He hoped that one day he would be able to build a tourist spot for people from far and near to view and admire together his collection of natural wonders and to study and learn from the actual things instead of text books pictures.
>From 1989 - 1992, Khun Suan dedicated himself to the construction of the Park at its present site near Pattaya. He created the layout of the Park entirely out of his imagination and experience without the help of a model, with the various buildings designed by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Phinyo Suwankhiri, a National Artist in the Visual Art Division.
Finally, on 1 February 1992, the Million Years Stone Park and Crocodile Farm was opened to tourists and the general public for the first time. Since then, new decorations and things of interest have been added to the Park continuously.
The park contains much more than it name suggests. It is not only a living museum of curious and beautiful things of all the three kingdoms-animal, vegetable and mineral, but it also offers you several kinds of amusing and exciting shows.
The park also houses a giant catfish, the biggest freshwater fish of the world weighing up to 500 kg. A shoal of snakehead fish of the Amazon River, Thepha fish, a most graceful but endangered species of Thailand, the intelligent albino bear and other albino animals-tigers, horses, cows, crocodiles, elephants, camels, lions, tigers, bears, several species of deer, etc. Eastern Sarus Cranes, emus, cassowaries and over 20 ostriches, the largest group in Thailand.
Furthermore, amusing and thrilling performances have been held regularly, including daily shows of man fighting with adult crocodiles bare-handed. Visitors include VIPs and groups of student from all over the world who are on field trips to make animal-life and geological studies. In early 2003, when the World Scout Jamboree was held in the nearly province of Chon Buri, The Park was one of the host parties who had the pleasure to welcome the scout groups from foreign countries.
All the animals on the farm live comfortably in their separate spacious areas.
Book your accommodation from our websites and be sure to visit this wonderful park when you're in Thailand.
