ILOILO CITY – Half a century after the establishment of a safari park in Palawan, a retired Ilonggo ship captain recalled the arduous journey of bringing more than 100 African animals.

Retired Capt. Nelson Ynion became nostalgic after a recent visit to Calauit Safari Park in Busuanga, the largest of the group of islands in northern Palawan.

“It just brougt back memories,” Ynion told Manila Bulletin.

Ynion was part of the crew of bulk carrier MV Don Salvador III that delivered 104 animals in Calauit in 1976 as part of the tourism thrust of President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

On March 4, 1977, giraffes, zebras, antelopes, impala, bush bucks, and waterbucks arrived at the 3,700-hectare wildlife reserve and sanctuary.

But Ynion said it was not an easy feat that it was an almost six-month journey that began on Oct. 31, 1976 when the crew flew to Glasgow in Scotland to pick up the vessel built by Govan Shipbuilders.

The crew had stopovers in various European countries before arriving in Glasgow to man the newly-built vessel under the command of Capt. Orlando Alfabeto.

At that time, Ynion was second-in-command as the vessel’s chief officer and played a pivotal role in the start of the sea voyage that would first take them to Montreal, Canada to pick up a cargo of wheat.

The vessel then headed to East Africa by passing through the Strait of Gibraltar and Suez Canal before unloading cargo in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. It made another stop in Dar es Salaam, the financial hub of Tanzania.

The 104 animals that made it to Palawan were picked up by the crew in Mombasa, a coastal city in Kenya.

After nearly half a century, Ynion was able to see the new generation of animals that were bred after delivering the original set from Africa.

Ynion hopes a similar safari park would be established in Iloilo or Western Visayas with the animals from Palawan to give people access to the various wildlife.