Zombie zoos

[Guest guest]

New Straits Times

7 November

 

Cover Story: Zombie zoos

 

Sarah Sabaratnam and Loretta Ann Soosayraj

 

IF you were a panther living at the Johor Zoo, you would run away too. Small

rusty cages, moss-covered floors on which rotting fruit is strewn,

maggot-infested sores, dirty exhibits, murky drinking water and bored, listless

and lethargic animals.

 

Why are some of our menageries in such a two-bit state? It would seem that money

is the root of the problem, but Zoo Negara's long-serving head veterinarian, Dr

S.

Vellayan, dismisses this notion.

 

" It is how you spend the money you have... that is the problem, " he says.

 

According to him, some zoos spend thousands of ringgit building unsuitable

enclosures and acquiring exotic animals which are expensive to maintain.

 

This stems from a lack of expert planning and management of zoos, and a failure

to understand the objectives of a zoo.

 

(Attempts to contact officials from the Johor Zoo for this story were

unsuccessful as the zoo director was on leave.) Dr Zaaba Zainol Abidin, the

Department of Wildlife and National Parks director for training and conservation

education, concurs.

 

" To me, they (the people who start animal-viewing facilities) don't know what

they are getting into. Looking after animals requires expertise and money to

provide proper diet

and husbandry as well as the right structures for the animals. " Like Vellayan,

he feels the people setting up these facilities are not really interested in the

real objective of

zoos; their concern is profits.

 

Some of our zoos, however, are moving in the right direction - Zoo Negara and

Zoo Taiping, for example.

 

Both are doing away with the " traditional " concrete floors and iron grill cages,

and replacing them with more natural enclosures along the lines of the modern

open zoos.

 

Animal welfare is of utmost importance, as seen in the strict protocols employed

in their care. Emphasis is also placed on preventive medicine as is medical

treatment.

 

Zoo Negara has a well-equipped animal hospital and a team of veterinarians.

 

But when private corporations set up zoos for profit-making reasons alone, the

animals suffer. How is it that this has been allowed to continue for so long?

Here comes the shocking part: there were no guidelines for zoos in Malaysia.

Until now, that is.

 

Guidelines on the management of zoological parks in Malaysia - the result of

deliberations with the various zoological parks and the Malaysian Association of

Zoological Parks and Aquaria (MAZPA) - outline the best management practices

required for the 44 zoological parks, of which 20 are public and the rest

private.

 

Science, Technology and the Environment Minister Datuk Seri Law Hieng Ding has

said that the primary objective of the guidelines is to ensure that the parks

are

administered and managed professionally and systematically in accordance with

international standards, and to serve as a reference guide to current and

prospective

public and private park operators.

 

Unfortunately, these guidelines have no legal force.

 

They are merely administrative, meaning, the Wildlife Department can use them to

check on establishments. But all it can do if the guidelines are not adhered to

is to

advise the pepertrators. Unless, of course, there is a case of cruelty or

illegal procurement of animals - where the department has enforcement powers

under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. (The guidelines cover the establishment

of new zoological parks, operations, infrastructure, wildlife trade and

procurement breeding, animal health and wellbeing, dietary needs, post-mortem,

records, safety, recreation, education, research, rehabilitation and

management.) The department is in the process of seeking amendments to the 1972

Act so as to incorporate the guidelines, thus effectively making them legally

enforceable.

 

Simply put, only this will give the toothless tiger something to bite with.

 

the 1972 Act also provides for the issuing of permits to keep animals.

 

According to sources, this clause is sometimes abused, depending on who you know

in high places - which explains the setting up of certain theme parks with no

accountability as to what they do with their animals.

 

Aside from this permit, the Local Government Act allows that all one needs to

set up a zoo is a business licence. Otherwise, there are no external controls as

to how the

animals are kept, bred and traded. Even the lack of money which, according to

MAZPA vice-president Mohd Nawayai Yasak, is sometimes the root of the problem is

not taken into account.

 

What restraints and wisdom are employed then? " There is no accountability, " says

Sahabat Alam Malaysia executive director S.M. Idris.

 

" There is no central authority overseeing, checking... no enforcement and no

licensing. In addition, there are no compelling guidelines.

 

" Zoo staff should comprise individuals with a background in zoology or biology

and should, more importantly, be people with compassion for wildlife, " says

Idris.

 

Unfortunately, many don't even have a resident vet, let alone qualified support

staff.

 

A good reason why some of our zoos should be shut down is their distorted focus.

 

" These zoos are about people, not the animals, " says Idris.

 

SAM's report notes that many of our zoos do not fulfil the real functions of a

zoo, which is to breed endangered species, to conduct benign research into wild

animal

behaviour and biology, and to educate the public on the various concerns of

conservation. The focus is on entertaining people, at the expense of animal

welfare.

 

" A circus-like atmosphere does nothing for conservation, " says Christopher

Shepherd of TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, a wildlife trade monitoring network.

 

" When you import exotic species, it has to be for conservation purposes, not

commercial reasons, " he says, upholding the spirit of the Convention on

International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (or CITES), of

which Malaysia is signatory.

 

" If you are going to have rare animals like the orang utan, then the focus

should be on education, " he emphasises.

 

By education, what is meant is proper signage at the various exhibits indicating

the species origin, its physical description, where it occurs, its dietary

needs, its status in

the wild, and any peculiar or interesting feature about the animal. Tours must

be informative, not just entertaining.

 

Without complete signs, to the average visitor, a snake is a snake, whether it

is a Ball python or a Blood python.

 

" Making animals perform unnaturally also teaches people that we control nature

instead of being a part of it, " says Louis Ng, president of the Singapore-based

Animal

Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES).

 

With the focus being on entertainment, cages are designed for the visitors,

explaining why some enclosures are bare and without a hiding place for the

animal to retreat to.

This way, visitors can view the animal all the time.

 

Within the fraternity, however, there seems to be some avenue for an internal

check and balance, albeit an informal one. For example, while MAZPA has no legal

authority

to tell anyone how to run their zoos, open communication between member zoos has

enabled them to advise each other on request.

 

MAZPA's main role is to establish a network in Malaysia for the purposes of

smooth exchange of ideas and knowledge, animal exchange, advice, and management

skills,

amongst others. " For example, Zoo Negara has been the only one which has

successfully bred flamingoes, so if other zoos intend to breed flamingoes, they

should go and learn from Zoo Negara as it has the expertise, " explains Mohd

Nawayai.

 

Vellayan says MAZPA can only be effective if zoo keepers and management are

interested in exchanging ideas and best practices. The problem, he says, with

some local zoo operators is that they are not willing to talk about their

problems and seek help.

 

In a paper entitled " The role of zoos, bird parks and aquarium in enhancing

public understanding of science in Malaysia, " Vellayan brings up another

interesting point.

 

Zoos, bird parks and aquariums, he writes, are a reflection of their

communities: " Bad zoos reflect community indifference. Indifferent communities

ought not to have zoos. "

It is when we allow ourselves to be amused by silly tricks and treat the animals

like zoo captives instead of residents that we perpetuate the horrid conditions

that exist.