Contests and performances make the Thailand Grand Pet Show a success

Outlook News - Sunday December 23, 2007

The Pet FILES

The best of the pets

Contests and performances make the Thailand Grand Pet Show a success

CHOMPOO TRAKULLERTSATHIEN

The 7th Thailand Grand Pet Show at the Rose Garden Riverside in Nakhon Pathom province wound up successfully recently with several hundred household pets participating in the grand show.

Highlights of the event were the pet shows, and the superstars of the three-day event were the six royal dogs, Khun Kao Daeng Kaeng Ron, Khun Ninlapanorn, Khun Ninlakesorn, Khun Pan See, Khun Fu Fu and Khun Baby.

At the opening performance, Khun Kao Daeng Kaeng Ron, who is the daughter of Khun Thong Yod and Khun Nam Cha and the granddaughter of Khun Thong Daeng - His Majesty the King's favourite dog, impressed the audiences with tricks such as jumping through a hoop, seeking out hidden items and walking a tightrope.

On the second day, Khun Ninlapanorn, the son of Khun Hiranvaree and Khun Thong Plu, surprised the audiences with his ability to walk on a bottle. He also showed how he could sit on a bicycle.

On the third day, visitors were treated to special shows that featured Khun Ninlakesorn, the sibling of Khun Ninlapanorn, and Khun Pan See, a dog who was rescued and later given to His Majesty the King. Khun Ninlakesorn was able to balance a ball on his head while walking on a barrel. He also rode a bicycle through the zigzagging path.

After Khun Ninlakesorn, it was the majestic looking Khun Pan See's turn on-stage. Khun Pan See displayed several tricks including crawling, walking on two feet and walking backwards up and down stairs.

In addition to the dog performances, visitors still had the rest of the pet fair to entertain them. The goat corner seemed to draw a huge crowd and was especially popular with children who wanted to feed the not-so-gruff creatures. A goat beauty contest lead many people to view the animals as potential pets for the first time, especially when they learned of the variety of foreign breeds of goat and how easy goats are to care for.

At the bird zone, visitors could view countless birds such as the eclectus parrot, cockatiels, macaws, sun conures and grey parrots. Viewers could appreciate the birds' beauty up close since all were tame and caged. Some of the birds even talked, although there was difficulty understanding what was said, while others enjoyed mimicking people. Photographers were particularly pleased with the bird section as it allowed them to capture the creatures' gorgeous colours up close.

Fish fanciers at the fair were able to witness a beauty contest. Some 500 fish were on display in the fish section, including discus, arowana, golden fish, guppy and clown fish. The arowana was the star of the show as it is now being successfully bred in captivity by the Surat Thani Inland Fisheries Research and Development Centre.

Another fish breeding success worth noting is that of the Samut Sakan Coastal Fisheries Research and Development Centre, which has successfully bred 11 species of anemone fish, namely clown, Clark's, sebae, saddleback, yellow skunk, pink skunk, red saddleback, tomato, spine-cheeked, red spine-cheeked and percula anemone. The centre is happy to pass on its breeding techniques and encourages fish lovers to buy anemones from the breeding farms around Bangkok.

After losing some popularity due to bird flu, bantam chickens have rebounded with many owners bringing their birds, both Thai and foreign, to the pet fair. There was also a demonstration on breeding, hatching and keeping bantams. Owing to their small size and captivating beauty, the bantams on display drew much attention from fair-goers.

Following the close of the show, attendees were grateful to the animals involved as they were a reminder of the happiness that can stem from having such unique friends.

Bangkok Post