Thai Vice Minister for Natural Resources and Environment Plodprasop Surasawadi said Friday that he will review the controversial menu following harsh criticism from wildlife activists.

"I may have jumped the gun and proposed my idea too quickly so I will reconsider what type of meat should be on the menu. I will not do what is considered to be bad for the country," he told AFP.

The move follows criticism from conservationists both here and in Kenya, which agreed last week to give Thailand 175 wild animals and birds to stock the Chiang Mai Night Safari, where the Vareekunchorn restaurant will be located.

"There is one restaurant in Nairobi which serves various kinds of meat from commercially raised (exotic) animals, so I thought we could import meat from this restaurant and it would make the restaurant different," Plodprasop said.

"Thai people already have some exotic dishes like fried insects, ostrich and crocodile meat which are legal so I thought why not import some other kinds of meat that are available and legal in Kenya."

But conservationists say the daily buffet of zebra, giraffe and crocodile would send the message that Thailand condones the trafficking and consumption of endangered animals.

"Trading animals is both immoral and against the law. What the government has done with Kenya makes Thailand seem like an uncivilised country using financial power as a condition to get natural resources from poorer countries, which in this case is wildlife," said Nikom Putta, director of Thai non-governmental organisation Wildlife Fund's northern region.

"That would worsen our image in the international arena regarding our animal protection standards, which in fact are very low." Nikom said he was ready to team up with Kenyan wildlife activists, who also bristled at the planned animal buffet.

"We need to verify the truth about this buffet. If it's true the government needs to re-think about sending animals to Thailand," Connie Maina, the spokeswoman for Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), told AFP.

Roger Lohanan, director of Thai Solidarity for Protection of Animals, said Friday he had sent a complaint to the Geneva-based Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) asking it to approach the Thai government.

"I have sent an e-mail to CITES to ask them to take action and open informal talks with Thai government," he said, adding that while it wasn't illegal to import that meat for the planned buffet, it was unethical.

Roger said Plodprasop was infamous for his lack of fully understanding conservation issues.

Siri Wangboonkeard, chairman of the Animal Welfare Protection Group, handed over a letter to Deputy Prime Minister Suwat Liptapanlop at Government House protesting the restaurant.

"The purpose of a zoo is to urge visitors, who are mostly youths, to love and protect animals, not to eat them," he said.

The zoo, in Thaksin's home region, will open on New Year's Day and will feature five restaurants, according to Thai officials.

Kenyan officials said none of the animals to be sent to Chiang Mai were endangered. These animals include zebras, flamingos, African buffaloes, hippos, spotted hyenas, silver-back jackals and impalas.

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