Burundi: Bujumbura – Musee Vivant

Not that many attractions in Burundi, one of the poorest countries in the world (another election looming in May and everyone expects violence). At Musee Vivant – part zoo part I don’t know what – you can sit on a massive live Nile crocodile and even pull it by the tail. Insane? Yes! And one person got bitten actually in the past! Sadly, besides the croc experience – the rest of the Musee Vivant (a top attraction in Bujumbura) was rather disturbing and borderline unethical. Small cages and crappy conditions. A black jaguar, that you could feed with a live guinea pig you buy for $3. More crocs and caymans. Loads of snakes, including poisonous vipers that actually killed an employee last year (he used traditional medicines to heal and naturally didn’t make it against viper venom). After I handled a tree snake in my hands and around my neck, I was told that they occasionally bite. And finally, there were two chimps in a small cage, very friendly but sad looking. They were saved from poachers but their life now is not much better. The female apparently is addicted to smoking cigarettes. Overall – this was quite an appalling experience, and I wish this zoo/park/circus closed.