† A Short Visit To Deerland In Lanchang †

31st August 2010, Malaysia's Independence Day is a public holiday and I'm spending a day in Temerloh visiting my girl friend Alicia. Since its a holiday and there's nothing much to do in Temerloh, we've decided to go deer-watching in Lanchang.

If you're coming from Kuala Lumpur, you exit at Lanchang toll station, do not turn left into Lanchang town but instead, head right and drive through a narrow windy road. You won't see any cars around (I don't know why??), do not be afraid if u see a jungle on your left and right. You are on the right track. It takes about 15 minutes through that road before you see a colony of KL cars flocked along the roadside. That is how you know you have finally arrive.

'VISIT AT YOUR OWN RISK', why? Perhaps there's something dangerous waiting ahead of us?

Animals To Watch In Deerland
1. Deers

We immediately understood what it meant by 'VISIT AT YOUR OWN RISK' when this huge family of deers were all around me because I was holding their food.

Eventually I got kicked by some aggressive deers. Seriously, it was painful.

My girl friend Alicia is a smart one. She picked a young small-sized deer so that she wouldn't get attacked.  Indeed, it looks like a naive looking deer, cute and cuddly - BUT do not be decieved, for these can be the most aggresive deers around.

This is a Taiwanese deer but strangely the name given to it was 'Bintik' and it means dots in Bahasa Melayu. The ones with the horns are males.

This gigantic deer is the local Malaysian deer, aged 8 years old. Its at least 3x the size of the other deers we visited. Just amazing.

2. Wild Cats

These are no ordinary pussy cats. They are known as wild cats or jungle cats because of their aggressive attitude. Yes, they look so cute don't they. Again, do not be deceived.Wait till you see them in action.

3. Birds

Many types of birds can be found in Deerland but there were only a few species of birds that attracted my attention. This particular one has a majestic name- Golden Pheasant. According to the staff  there, Golden Pheasant prefers to run rather than fly. If it senses danger, it can suddenly burst upward at great speed. Look at how it stares at the camera in this picture. Perhaps it already sense danger now. RUN!

These little birds are locally known as 'burung puyuh'. According to Wikipedia, it is related to Quail, a kind of bird which is basically small and plump which can't fly.

4. Snakes

To be honest, this is the first time I've ever laid my hand on a snake. Its basically cold as expected. We were told that it has not been fed yet that morning. Alicia was anxious of course, afraid it would lay its teeth on any potential 'victims'. Close shot..

5. Wild Guinea Pigs

Bugsy! If you've watched Adam Sandler's Bedtime Stories, you will definitely know Bugsy. Something you have to know about these furry stuff. They emit low monotonous sounds, like an orchestra of cellos n basses. These sounds cannot be heard loudly, so pay careful attention when you come across any of these piggys.

6. Bear

This bear is definitely the entertainer of the day. We were lucky enough to visit it during its lunch time. Its job was to eat and eat and continue eating. What we see in this picture is the bear being fed with a bottle of honey. Reminds me a little of 'Winnie the Pooh' though.

It was too busy to entertain us, so we entertained it instead, by taking pics with it. Me and Alicia managed to have some photo shots with this grizzly black bear.

Food For Thought: Don't even bother to wear nicely if you're planning to visit Deerland. As I mentioned earlier, I got kicked by deers. So, if your Giorgio Armani shirt has a deer paw mark on it, don't regret.