Viral Image of Emaciated Tiger Linked to Animal Feed Corruption, Surabaya Zoo Responds
The alleged corruption of Surabaya Zoo’s (KBS) operational funds, which has ensnared former Managing Director Choirul Anwar, has drawn public scrutiny. Old photographs of emaciated animals have recently gone viral on social media in connection with the case.
The corruption case, involving the mismanagement of KBS finances from 2016 to 2024, is said to have caused state losses amounting to IDR 10.2 billion. Allegations of misappropriation of animal feed funds have prompted the recirculation of old images showing thin or sick animals. One of the most widely shared photographs is of Melani, a Sumatran tiger that was in critical condition with a very thin body in 2013.
To verify the current situation, a reporter visited the KBS carnivore enclosure. Sumatran tiger keeper Sumartono explained that maintaining a tiger’s health is not just about feeding it daily, but ensuring its body weight remains ideal. ‘The most important thing is to maintain its posture. A tiger should not be too fat, nor too thin,’ Sumartono said. He noted that each tiger’s dietary needs differ; although the main menu of beef, chicken, and chicken heads is the same, the quantity is adjusted based on body weight, posture, and activity levels. The determination of portions is not decided by the keeper alone but involves evaluation with the section head, veterinarians, and nutritionists to monitor the animals’ condition regularly.
Regarding the viral images, KBS Director of Operations and General Affairs Nurika Widyasanti clarified that most of the photographs are old documentation, taken long before the zoo’s management was under the current regional public company (Perumda). She identified the animals in the images as Melani the Sumatran tiger from 2013, Bety the orangutan who died from lung disease in 2013, Beno the grizzly bear who had a tumour in 2010, and Dumbo the elephant who died in 2021 from suspected elephant herpesvirus. ‘So, the images being re-uploaded are not of our current animals,’ she stated. Nurika added that during the 2016-2024 period under investigation, only one animal death occurred, that of the elephant Dumbo in 2021, which was due to illness and not negligence.