RE: Undercover investigation at Singapore Zoo

[Guest guest]

Dear Louis,

 

I appreciate your efforts for the work! Keep it Up !

When I visited Singapore Zoo, I saw Rhino injured, Polar Bears left in

water tank before public for a Hunt Show. In this show the cage attendent

left a Live Fish inside tank for the polar bear to hunt. What a Cruel

Death Show! Do something !

 

In US may be the zoo's are better but As far as india is concern Not a

single zoo is perfect & the condition of animals is pathetic. Last year I

made same kind report about solapur zoo where the peacock are kept before

the Lion cages, when lion made his voice every time the peacock got

shocks. The other peacocks & parakeets kept in same cage where parkeets

not even able to come down to have food and peacock cannot even turn

around.

 

I feel the Animal Advocates should continue to hi-light all such things.

 

Anyway, nice work!

 

Regards,

Nilesh

PAWS

 

 

 

 

> Yes, well done Louis! It was so nice to meet you at the last conference

> that

> ACRES hosted. Hope to see you in December in India. My own story in

> regards

> to Polar Bears is that I was living in Denver when Klondike and Snow where

> born in captivity (book here:

> http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/customer-reviews/1570980594). I remember

> thinking then " how disgusting, but what to do? " The only thing I could

> think of then was to modify the free bumper stickers given out by the

> Denver

> Zoo to say " FREE Klondike and Snow from the Denver Zoo. " Years later I was

> in Florida for work and the office took everyone out to WaterWorld, where

> Klondike and Snow had been relocated when they outgrew their " exhibition

> space. " Polar bears in Florida. Confirmation that humans are crazy

> animals.

> So to hear that Louis & Acres is doing something to prevent such insanity

> is

> heartwarming and appreciated. Thanks again!!!!

>

> Jigs, AnimalNepal

> www.animalnepal.org

>

>

>

> aapn [aapn ] On Behalf Of

>

> Wednesday, September 06, 2006 10:20 PM

> Louis Ng

> Cc: aapn ; animalcrusader; rob

> Re: Undercover investigation at Singapore Zoo reveal

> serious

> welfare concerns

>

> Dear Debashishda and Mr Louis and AAPN colleagues,

>

> Whilst I concur with Debashishda's philosophy, I can only applaud Mr

> Louis's

> efforts and congratulate him on this enormous achievement. As Noam Chomsky

> says, expanding the cage is an essential preliminary towards dismantling

> it.

> I know how difficult it is to conduct zoo research since I have undertaken

> it myself. ACRES has done a terrific job and I fervently hope their

> Vietnam

> presentation makes an even greater impact. Their efforts on behalf of the

> animals of Singapore Zoo are laudable and hats off to the researchers who

> spent day after day to build up data to present their case. Catchy slogans

> do not always change reality. Neither do newspaper reports as much as I

> would like them to. Nor court cases which run endlessly for decades

> without

> any final judgment in sight. As the former project coordinator of the

> Indian

> Zoo Inquiry I can only express the utmost appreciation for this effort by

> ACRES to make the lives of captive animals a little more tolerable. WELL

> DONE MR LOUIS.

> Best wishes,

>

> Yours sincerely,

>

>

> On 9/6/06, Louis Ng <kknglois

> <kknglois%40singnet.com.sg> > wrote:

>>

>> 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 <louis%40acres.org.sg>

>>

>> 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.

>>

>>

>>

[Guest guest]

No Nilesh, the zoos are no better in the US, they just do a better façade.

The polar bears in Florida looked miserable in 100+f heat and a dirty pool.

I think the only valid zoos will be when and where people put a fence around

a protected wildlife habitat and hang a sign called zoo. Even then, roaming

animals like bears will be stuck. I guess there is no ideal solution for

animals at this point except to pack the humans and send them to Mars.

jigs

 

 

 

Jiggy Gaton

CEO

Phoenix Studio

9851044033

 

 

 

 

aapn [aapn ] On Behalf Of

nilesh

Thursday, September 07, 2006 12:25 PM

herojig

Cc: ''; 'Louis Ng'; aapn ;

animalcrusader; rob; aapn

RE: Undercover investigation at Singapore Zoo

 

Dear Louis,

 

I appreciate your efforts for the work! Keep it Up !

When I visited Singapore Zoo, I saw Rhino injured, Polar Bears left in

water tank before public for a Hunt Show. In this show the cage attendent

left a Live Fish inside tank for the polar bear to hunt. What a Cruel

Death Show! Do something !

 

In US may be the zoo's are better but As far as india is concern Not a

single zoo is perfect & the condition of animals is pathetic. Last year I

made same kind report about solapur zoo where the peacock are kept before

the Lion cages, when lion made his voice every time the peacock got

shocks. The other peacocks & parakeets kept in same cage where parkeets

not even able to come down to have food and peacock cannot even turn

around.

 

I feel the Animal Advocates should continue to hi-light all such things.

 

Anyway, nice work!

 

Regards,

Nilesh

PAWS

 

> Yes, well done Louis! It was so nice to meet you at the last conference

> that

> ACRES hosted. Hope to see you in December in India. My own story in

> regards

> to Polar Bears is that I was living in Denver when Klondike and Snow where

> born in captivity (book here:

> http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/customer-reviews/1570980594

<http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/customer-reviews/1570980594> ). I remember

> thinking then " how disgusting, but what to do? " The only thing I could

> think of then was to modify the free bumper stickers given out by the

> Denver

> Zoo to say " FREE Klondike and Snow from the Denver Zoo. " Years later I was

> in Florida for work and the office took everyone out to WaterWorld, where

> Klondike and Snow had been relocated when they outgrew their " exhibition

> space. " Polar bears in Florida. Confirmation that humans are crazy

> animals.

> So to hear that Louis & Acres is doing something to prevent such insanity

> is

> heartwarming and appreciated. Thanks again!!!!

>

> Jigs, AnimalNepal

> www.animalnepal.org

>

>

>

> aapn <aapn%40>

[aapn <aapn%40> ] On Behalf Of

>

> Wednesday, September 06, 2006 10:20 PM

> Louis Ng

> Cc: aapn <aapn%40> ;

animalcrusader <animalcrusader%40gmail.com> ;

rob <rob%40zoocheck.com>

> Re: Undercover investigation at Singapore Zoo reveal

> serious

> welfare concerns

>

> Dear Debashishda and Mr Louis and AAPN colleagues,

>

> Whilst I concur with Debashishda's philosophy, I can only applaud Mr

> Louis's

> efforts and congratulate him on this enormous achievement. As Noam Chomsky

> says, expanding the cage is an essential preliminary towards dismantling

> it.

> I know how difficult it is to conduct zoo research since I have undertaken

> it myself. ACRES has done a terrific job and I fervently hope their

> Vietnam

> presentation makes an even greater impact. Their efforts on behalf of the

> animals of Singapore Zoo are laudable and hats off to the researchers who

> spent day after day to build up data to present their case. Catchy slogans

> do not always change reality. Neither do newspaper reports as much as I

> would like them to. Nor court cases which run endlessly for decades

> without

> any final judgment in sight. As the former project coordinator of the

> Indian

> Zoo Inquiry I can only express the utmost appreciation for this effort by

> ACRES to make the lives of captive animals a little more tolerable. WELL

> DONE MR LOUIS.

> Best wishes,

>

> Yours sincerely,

>

>

> On 9/6/06, Louis Ng <kknglois

<kknglois%40singnet.com.sg>

> <kknglois%40singnet.com.sg> > wrote:

>>

>> 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 <louis%40acres.org.sg>

<louis%40acres.org.sg>

>>

>> 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.

>>

>>

>>

[Guest guest]

Dear all,

 

Thank you for your kind words. Much credit has to be given to the researchers

who spent 3150 minutes doing the research!

 

Indeed much has to be done about the captive animal industry in Asia and the

phasing out of polar bears in captivity in Singapore Zoo is just one small step.

Acres has recently completed an investigation into the welfare of all polar

bears in Japanese zoos, investigating a total of 24 zoos.

 

We will also be presenting the results of this investigation and the campaign

video at the upcoming Southeast Asian Zoo Association (SEAZA) conference next

week. We are optimistic that the zoo industry will be open to the concerns we

will be raising. Ultimately we have nothing to lose and hopefully the SEAZA

delegates will be receptive.

 

In addition, we will be presenting the findings of both investigations at the

17th International Conference on Bear Research and Management in Japan in

October.

 

We are working towards the phasing out of polar bears in captivity throughout

Asia and Singapore Zoo's decision is a huge step forward.

 

Once again, thank you for all your kind words and support.

 

On behalf of the Acres team,

Louis

 

 

[Guest guest]

*Dear Nilesh,*

* You have raised some important issues. Live feeding

of animals in captivity has always been a contentious matter. Some animals,

especially King Cobras are difficult to keep in captivity since they always

eat live food. When speaking about cruelty, one has to keep in mind that

insects are offered live in captive facilities. So are tubifex worms to

fishes in aquariums. *

* Regarding the condition of American zoos, the former director of Woodland

Park Zoo in Seattle and the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, David Hancocks,

condemned the numerous roadside zoos in his book 'A DIFFERENT NATURE'. There

is also an interesting paper on the issue that was presented by Nicole

Paquette at the Animal Law Institute Conference in Dallas(**

http://www.api4animals.org/facts?p=179 & more=1 & page=1*<http://www.api4animals.org\

/facts?p=179 & more=1 & page=1>

*). The situation concerning captive wild animals in US is so bad that a few

years ago, the Captive Wild Animal Protection Coalition was formed to

strengthen laws.(**http://www.cwapc.org/* <http://www.cwapc.org/>*).*

* No zoo is perfect since the very nature of captivity is bound to

compromise an animal's quality of life. But it is true that some species of

animals do better in captivity than others. Some can actually be left to

roam free. There are free ranging Brown Lemurs in Singapore Zoo. It can

however be cogently argued that they should be in Madagascar and not in

Singapore.*

* With more than 10,000 zoos existing in the world, it seems unlikely that

they will vanish overnight. Whilst the anti zoo philosophy is fine, a long

term campaign needs research, reason, logic and information in addition to

emotion. Both Zoocheck Canada and Born Free Foundation base their campaigns

on scientific research and both have succeeded in closing down several zoos.

But an anti zoo campaign that only has emotion bereft of research and logic

is akin to shooting peanuts in the air. Some of the best anti zoo

campaigners are those who have worked in zoos and know the captive animal

industry well. For example, David Spratt, consultant to the Captive Animals

Protection Society used to work for London Zoo. The former Zoo Check

director, the late Stefan Ormrod, one of the very best anti zoo campaigners

the world has ever seen, was head of mammals at Jersey Zoo.*

* Some captive animal facilities are also responsible. For example, the

Monkey Sanctuary in Cornwall freely acknowledges that their monkeys are

adapted for life in the wild and not in captivity. They explain that they

are rescued animals and emphasise that they are not for entertainment. The

point that some rescue centres are run worse than zoos is very valid. In

fact, many rescue centres eventually become glorified zoos whose inmates

remain captive all their lives and never see the light of day. *

* Personally, I think from the animal welfare point of view, zoos can be

justified if they treat their animals well. It would be harder to justify

them from the animal rights point of view. For the animals themselves,

caring zoo keepers are often the best chance of survival they have got. And

I have met them, in India and abroad. I may not agree with them

philosophically, but respect their work. Some zoos have also done very good

conservation work to protect animals in situ. For example, Bronx Zoo in New

York, Jersey Zoo, Howletts Zoo, Frankfurt Zoo and Australia Zoo. In India,

Arignar Anna Zoo in Madras and Hyderabad Zoo offer facilities that can

compare with the best in the world. This is also why I feel that efforts at

short term enrichment and welfare such as the latest one undertaken by ACRES

for Polar bears in Singapore are very worthwhile indeed.*

* Good luck in your zoo surveys,*

**

* Sincerely yours,*

* *

 

 

On 9/6/06, nilesh <nilesh wrote:

>

> Dear Louis,

>

> I appreciate your efforts for the work! Keep it Up !

> When I visited Singapore Zoo, I saw Rhino injured, Polar Bears left in

> water tank before public for a Hunt Show. In this show the cage attendent

> left a Live Fish inside tank for the polar bear to hunt. What a Cruel

> Death Show! Do something !

>

> In US may be the zoo's are better but As far as india is concern Not a

> single zoo is perfect & the condition of animals is pathetic. Last year I

> made same kind report about solapur zoo where the peacock are kept before

> the Lion cages, when lion made his voice every time the peacock got

> shocks. The other peacocks & parakeets kept in same cage where parkeets

> not even able to come down to have food and peacock cannot even turn

> around.

>

> I feel the Animal Advocates should continue to hi-light all such things.

>

> Anyway, nice work!

>

> Regards,

> Nilesh

> PAWS

>

>

>

>

> > Yes, well done Louis! It was so nice to meet you at the last conference

> > that

> > ACRES hosted. Hope to see you in December in India. My own story in

> > regards

> > to Polar Bears is that I was living in Denver when Klondike and Snow

> where

> > born in captivity (book here:

> > http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/customer-reviews/1570980594). I remember

> > thinking then " how disgusting, but what to do? " The only thing I could

> > think of then was to modify the free bumper stickers given out by the

> > Denver

> > Zoo to say " FREE Klondike and Snow from the Denver Zoo. " Years later I

> was

> > in Florida for work and the office took everyone out to WaterWorld,

> where

> > Klondike and Snow had been relocated when they outgrew their " exhibition

> > space. " Polar bears in Florida. Confirmation that humans are crazy

> > animals.

> > So to hear that Louis & Acres is doing something to prevent such

> insanity

> > is

> > heartwarming and appreciated. Thanks again!!!!

> >

> > Jigs, AnimalNepal

> > www.animalnepal.org

> >

> >

> >

> > aapn [aapn ] On Behalf Of

> >

> > Wednesday, September 06, 2006 10:20 PM

> > Louis Ng

> > Cc: aapn ; animalcrusader; rob

> > Re: Undercover investigation at Singapore Zoo reveal

> > serious

> > welfare concerns

> >

> > Dear Debashishda and Mr Louis and AAPN colleagues,

> >

> > Whilst I concur with Debashishda's philosophy, I can only applaud Mr

> > Louis's

> > efforts and congratulate him on this enormous achievement. As Noam

> Chomsky

> > says, expanding the cage is an essential preliminary towards dismantling

> > it.

> > I know how difficult it is to conduct zoo research since I have

> undertaken

> > it myself. ACRES has done a terrific job and I fervently hope their

> > Vietnam

> > presentation makes an even greater impact. Their efforts on behalf of

> the

> > animals of Singapore Zoo are laudable and hats off to the researchers

> who

> > spent day after day to build up data to present their case. Catchy

> slogans

> > do not always change reality. Neither do newspaper reports as much as I

> > would like them to. Nor court cases which run endlessly for decades

> > without

> > any final judgment in sight. As the former project coordinator of the

> > Indian

> > Zoo Inquiry I can only express the utmost appreciation for this effort

> by

> > ACRES to make the lives of captive animals a little more tolerable. WELL

> > DONE MR LOUIS.

> > Best wishes,

> >

> > Yours sincerely,

> >

> >

> > On 9/6/06, Louis Ng <kknglois

> > <kknglois%40singnet.com.sg> > wrote:

> >>

> >> 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 <louis%40acres.org.sg>

> >>

> >> 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.

> >>

> >>

> >>