Holiday for Two Anteaters

Two anteaters at Bangkok's main zoo have been given a three-month holiday to recover after violent clashes between police and protesters erupted near their enclosure, the zoo director said on Sunday.

The four-year-old male and female anteaters were moved to a zoo in Chonburi province east of Bangkok soon after Tuesday's protests, when tear gas and loud bangs rang through the streets around parliament next to their enclosures.

"A pair of anteaters had come from the United States about a year ago. This animal is sensitive about noise, and they have not yet got used to loud noises," Dusit Zoo director Kanchai Sanwong said.

The other animals in the park, however, had been there a long time and are used to Thailand's shaky political situation, with noisy protests often held in the Dusit government district, he said.

"The kangaroos and elephants who live near the wall opposite parliament were excited and acted a little jumpy, but they have lived here for a long time and it is easy for people who take care of them to calm them down," Kanchai said.

"The deer and birds who also live next door have been little impacted." Zoo employees sprayed water around the animals' enclosure to help alleviate the lingering tear gas, he added.