Local zoos have no place for animals

Local zoos have no place for animals

Rita A. Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

Going to the zoo must be a good time for children and parents,
since thousands of people regularly visit zoological parks in the
country every weekend and holiday.

With cheap ticket prices, sometimes less than Rp 1,000 (10 US
cents), zoos have become one of the most affordable holiday
destinations for families.

At Ragunan Zoo in South Jakarta, Sundays are always busy, with
children enjoying themselves watching the gigantic elephants or
the tigers and lions in their enclosures. Some adults feed the
orangutans peanuts and corn, and families smile happily as they
have their pictures taken with baby white tigers.

It seems like everybody at the zoo has a good time -- except
for the animals. Elephants have massive chains around their feet,
orangutans are crammed into small cages, and even the lions and
tigers look skinny and sick.

The poor condition of animals in the country's zoos was
discovered during a recent investigation by the London-based
World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and one of its
member societies, Animal Conservation for Life (KSBK).

The zoos they investigated are the Perancak Animal Park in
West Bali; Taru Jurug in Surakarta, Central Java; Tinjomoyo Zoo
in Semarang; Surabaya Zoo in Surabaya; Medan Zoo in Medan, North
Sumatra; Gembira Loka in Yogyakarta; Tamansari in Bandung;
Ragunan in Jakarta; Pematang Siantar in North Sumatra; and the
Indonesia Safari Park II in Prigen, East Java.

The five-month investigation was documented in a report called
Caged Cruelty.

Purwo Kuncoro, an investigator from KSBK's Bali office, said
the condition of the animals in those zoos was very poor.

"I felt pity for these animals. They are being exploited to
entertain visitors without receiving proper treatment from the
zoos' managements," Purwo said.

The investigation report, released in Surabaya, East Java,
last month, disclosed that 99 percent of the enclosures at the
zoos failed to accommodate the basic biological and behavioral
needs of the animals -- with 82 percent failing to provide
sufficient space and 68 percent going uncleaned for prolonged
periods of time.

The report also said that around half of the animals seen did
not have sufficient access to water. In many cases, water was
only available from the ditches around their enclosures, which
was usually stagnant.

"I don't think the existing problems are merely caused by
inadequate funding, which has been used frequently as an excuse
by the zoos' managements to justify their neglect," commented
Purwo.

During the team's investigation, Purwo and his colleagues saw
many idle zoo employees who were obviously in need of
encouragement and guidance from their superiors.

"Many of them were simply hanging around doing nothing to
maintain the welfare of the animals. They were typically
Indonesian public servants," he said.

The zoo employees, he said, could be more attentive and
creative if they put in the effort.

"I know some of them are knowledgeable but they are reluctant
to dedicate themselves to improving the condition of the
animals."

And worst of all, a number of zoo keepers are involved in the
illegal animal trade and smuggling.

"I was offered a tiger skin for only Rp 100,000 by a zoo
keeper in Surabaya ... imagine that," he said, adding that an
employee at Ragunan Zoo in Jakarta offered him a wild bear cub.

Some animals like lions, tigers and bears have gone missing
from zoos after being reported as having died in their cages.

One zoo keeper told the police he had sold animals to a number
of influential people in Indonesia, including the governor of
Jakarta, who immediately denied the allegation.

"It is very hard to fight against the illegal trade of wild
animals since it is reported to involve Army generals, prominent
businessmen and high-ranking government officials," Purwo said.

"Just leave it to the police and courts to deal with. What is
more important is the welfare of the animals and the safety of
zoo visitors."

A veterinarian at Bali's Environment Development Center, Dr.
Wita Wahyudi, said there were numerous easy, effective and
inexpensive ways to improve the health and welfare of zoo
animals.

"The majority of animals in the investigated zoos are
stressed. A similar condition, a form of mental torment, was
shown by an estimated 50 percent of the animals at these zoos, as
seen from the pacing or repetitive swaying (of the animals),"
Wita said.

She also found many of the animals were malnourished and
suffered from serious illnesses.

"Some primates like orangutans suffer from TB and hepatitis,"
the veterinarian said.

She also found different types of deadly worms underneath the
skins of tigers and lions in several zoos, including the Perancak
Animal Park in Bali.

"There are holes in the animals' skins which probably hurt
very much," Wita said.

And cases of serious abuse of animals were also recorded at
several zoos.

In the Surabaya Zoo, for instance, an orangutan was frequently
beaten with a bamboo stick by its trainer while posing for photos
with zoo visitors, who paid Rp 2,000 each.

In Tinjomoyo Zoo in Semarang, Central Java, visitors were
encouraged to feed the animals ice cream and candy. Visitors were
also seen offering cigarettes to orangutans.

At Surabaya Zoo, several animals have died in recent years
after eating trash thrown in their enclosures by visitors.

"The problem with most Indonesians is that they lack the
discipline and knowledge of how to treat zoo animals," Wita said.

Purwo said that the zoos put up signs spelling out the rules
for visitors, but most people ignored the signs.

"The zoo keepers must do their jobs by repeatedly reminding
the visitors not to feed or disturb the animals," said Purwo.

The investigation, hopefully, will increase people's awareness
about the need to protect and look after the health and safety of
zoo animals.

The director of KSBK's Indonesian headquarters in Malang, East
Java, Rosek Nurhadi, suggested that zoos like the Perancak Animal
Park in Bali should be closed down for the safety of both the
animals and the visitors.

"The investigation is intended to open the eyes of zoo
managements, the government, the public and related parties to
create safe and educative zoological parks."