Three white tigers dead

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A former employee of the Ragunan Zoo disclosed on Friday that three white tiger cubs died last month due to what he claims was improper care and feeding by handlers of the rare animals.

Nadi Sanjaya, a former employee, made the statement to city council members as he complained that he had been wrongfully demoted by the zoo management. Ragunan officials accused Nadi and another staff member, Masduki, of negligence in the death of the rare and beautiful tiger cubs.

Nadi claimed that Ragunan Zoo management falsely accused he and Masduki in the deaths of the animals and forcibly transferred the pair of civil servants to the South Jakarta Mayor's Office to work as janitors. His salary was also cut from Rp 350,000 to Rp 100,000 per month.

According to Nadi, who had been working at the zoo for 15 years, the tigers died after consuming rancid pork. "It was a veterinarian of the zoo who caused the deaths (by feeding them the spoiled meat)," he claimed.

His colleague, Masduki, had reported the case to the South Jakarta Police but said he received no response.

City Governor Sutiyoso said he was shocked to hear Nadi's report, saying that he would check and ask Ragunan authorities to explain the problem.

But Ismunanto, the director of Ragunan Zoo, denied Nadi's reports, saying that Nadi and his colleagues were not telling the truth.

"It's not true. The white tigers died, not because of improper care, but because they contracted typhoid," he said.

Typhoid is contracted from the Salmonella bacteria found especially in rotten meat.

He noted that Nadi and Masduki were not fired. "They are civil servants. So it is natural if they also experience a kind of staff rotation from the zoo to the mayor's office," he said.

Ismunanto said that Nadi and Masduki were employed to observe and report on the animals at the zoo and not to care directly for the animals.

He added that they are third rank civil servants with salaries more than the Rp350,000 which they claimed.

Previously, the Ragunan Zoo was criticized for losing three Komodo dragons and then accused staff members of stealing the huge, rare lizards. The missing animals were later found in the zoo complex alive and well.