Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# Madang Resort: Trafficked tree kangaroos in tiny enclosures! Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea / Papua New Guinea
skovso 05:49 UTC 05 Nov 2017 | Madang Resort Review, Oct 2017 - THINK TWICE Madang Resort as such is OK value for money if you get an online deal incl. breakfast. Location is probably the most convenient in town. Rooms are somewhat run-down (renovations are taking place for the APEC Summit in 2018) and there's no access to the sea from the hotel premises. However, I would recommend all travelers to REFRAIN from staying at Madang Resort. Reason: They have trafficked tree kangaroos in small enclosures. I asked the staff about the animals and without hesitation they told me that the resort had bought the kangaroos off the locals, who'd caught them in the forest. I escalated the matter to the manager, who concurred and said they were there for the guests to enjoy. He was clearly uncomfortable and defended himself saying that if they had not bought the animals at a high price, they would've been sold much cheaper to someone else or have ended up on the dinner table. The latter probably a better solution than their current pathetic living situation. Besides the tree kangaroos, the cages hold birds incl. big hornbills (there's no room for them to fly). Madang has an elaborate range of good hotels and guest houses; choose a different option than Madang Resort. In my naïvity, I'm hoping that if enough guests stay away from MR due to their animal policies, maybe that'll change their attitude and make them either built bigger enclosures or release the poor beasts entirely (they've been in captivity for 1.5 years meaning that they probably could be re-released without issues). I believe it's our responsibility as guests and consumers to take a stand against businesses who by engaging in animal trafficking thus encourage locals to capture them in the wild. |
majordom 09:38 UTC 12 Nov 2017 | you are right - guests can do a lot to stop this cruelty the nature park in port moresby has various animals like tree kangaroos well looked after if you want to see them | 1
skovso 03:20 UTC 17 Nov 2017 | Yes, we went to the PoM Nature Park and were very positively surprised. They had some great aviaries too. Would definitely recommend PoM visitors to go there. | 2
Thorn Tree 01:00 UTC 18 Nov 2018 | This topic has been automatically locked due to inactivity. Email community@lonelyplanet.com if you would like to add to this topic and we'll unlock it for you. | 3