Undercover investigation at Singapore Zoo reveal seriouswelfare concerns

[Guest guest]

There can not be a GOOD ZOO or a BAD ZOO ! Life imprisonment with no court of

appeal !!

 

-

Louis Ng <kknglois

Wednesday, September 6, 2006 5:56 pm

Undercover investigation at Singapore Zoo reveal seriouswelfare

concerns

 

> PRESS RELEASE

>

> 6 September 2006

>

>

>

> UNDERCOVER INVESTIGATION AT SINGAPORE ZOO REVEALS SERIOUS WELFARE

> CONCERNS

>

>

>

> SINGAPORE 6 September - A four month undercover investigation by

> the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) into

> the welfare of the polar bears (Ursus maritimus) at the Singapore

> Zoo revealed serious concerns.

>

>

>

> Two polar bears are housed at the Singapore Zoo (Sheba, a female

> and Inuka, her male offspring) in an open-air enclosure that

> provides only approximately 0.0000005% of a polar bear's natural

> home range.

>

>

>

> Since 2004, Acres has been in discussions with the Singapore Zoo

> and has called for the zoo to improve the living conditions so

> that the bears can, at the very least, express some of their

> natural behaviours.

>

>

>

> From September until December 2005, Acres placed undercover

> researchers at the Singapore Zoo to conduct a detailed scientific

> behavioural study into the welfare of the polar bears. Key

> findings of the four month scientific study (based on 3,150

> minutes of data) were:

>

>

> Both bears exhibited signs of severe heat stress. The bears were

> both seen to be panting for long periods of time (Inuka: 36.0% of

> the time; Sheba: 38.7% of the time), indicating that they are far

> too hot. The bears were also seen to be exhibiting other

> behaviours indicating heat stress.

>

>

>

> Both bears engaged in high levels of abnormal stereotypic

> behaviour (Inuka: 64.5% of the active periods; Sheba: 56.8% of the

> active periods). The bears were at times observed to be constantly

> pacing or swimming stereotypically. Stereotypic behaviour is

> widely recognised as a clear indication of an abnormal animal-

> environment interaction and a sign of psychological disorder in

> animals.

>

>

> Both polar bears displayed high levels of inactivity (Inuka: 42.5%

> of the time; Sheba: 64.6% of the time). This is recognised as a

> clear indication of an abnormal animal-environment interaction,

> almost certainly caused by a sub-optimal environment that does not

> satisfy the natural, species-specific behavioural needs of the bears.

>

>

>

> There is no doubt that polar bears are poor candidates for

> captivity. They are extremely wide-ranging, highly intelligent,

> cold weather carnivores, so they are extremely problematic to

> house in captivity.

>

>

>

> The bears also cannot simply 'adapt' to life in hot climates;

> wherever they are in captivity they will still possess all the

> physiological adaptations to life in the Arctic. Even if they lose

> some fur and blubber, they will always have black skin that

> absorbs heat. Whilst an indoor air-conditioned area is provided

> for the polar bears at Singapore Zoo, this area is reported to be

> extremely small and not big enough for the bears to rest

> comfortably. Therefore, although the bears can choose to enter the

> air-conditioned area during the day, this means being cramped in a

> small, uncomfortable area.

>

>

> A 2003 report by Oxford University researchers concluded that

> polar bears are one of the species most affected by captivity. The

> bears are prone to problems that include poor health and

> repetitive stereotypic behaviours. These problems were suggested

> to stem from constraints imposed on the natural behaviour of

> animals with wide-ranging lifestyles in the wild. The report

> revealed that naturally wide-ranging species show the most

> evidence of stress and/or psychological dysfunction in captivity.

>

>

>

> Acres presented the results of the scientific study to the

> Singapore Zoo in June 2006 and are pleased that the Singapore Zoo

> has responded positively and agreed to:

>

>

>

> � Eventually relocate Inuka, the male polar bear, to a

> more suitable facility in a more appropriate climate.

>

> � Not import any Arctic animals in the future.

>

>

>

> Rob Laidlaw, a Chartered Biologist and Director of ZooCheck Canada

> said " I am very pleased to hear that the Singapore Zoo has finally

> recognised that the keeping of polar bears in tropical situations

> is problematic. It is difficult to think of a worse candidate for

> life in captivity in a hot climate. I hope other zoos around the

> world learn from this example " .

>

>

>

> " The tropical Southeast Asian climate is no place for Arctic polar

> bears and the World Society for the Protection of Animal (WSPA)

> congratulates the Singapore Zoo for making this progressive step

> in phasing out the keeping of polar bears " said Dr. Roy Jones, who

> has a PhD in Applied Ethology/Animal Welfare and is the Wildlife

> Project Officer for WSPA Asia.

>

>

>

> Acres will be presenting the results of the investigation at the

> Southeast Asian Zoo Association conference in Vietnam next week

> and will continue to monitor the welfare of the polar bears to

> ensure that improvements are made to their living conditions.

>

>

>

> Contact:

>

> Louis Ng (Executive Director)

>

> Email: louis

>

> Office: +65 6581 2488 Handphone: +65 9796 8592

>

> - ends -

>

> Notes

>

> � Video footage of the polar bears displaying abnormal

> stereotypic behaviours and photos of the polar bears are available

> on request.

>

> � Acres is a local animal welfare charity aimed at

> fostering respect and compassion for all animals. Our approach to

> raising animal welfare issues is to focus on education and back up

> our advocacy with scientific clarity accrued through research.

> Using our findings, we will inform the public and work towards

> synergistic partnerships with the authorities and related parties

> to improve animal welfare.

>

> � This campaign is conducted in collaboration with WSPA

> who is recognised by the United Nations and works to raise the

> standards of animal welfare throughout the world.

>

>

>