Guest guest Posted August 15, 2009 Report Share Posted August 15, 2009 Zoo Negara deaths raise concern 2009/08/02 *Chandra Devi Renganayar and Sonia Ramachandran* KUALA LUMPUR: More than 200 rare animals and birds die at Zoo Negara annually, mostly because of unsuitable living conditions and failure to upgrade amenities. The zoo's " death list " , which was provided to the New Sunday Times by a source shows that 291 protected, endangered and foreign (rare) species died between January and December 2002. According to the list, the loss is valued at RM1,043,800. Zoo director Dr Mohamad Ngah said 256 animals of various species died in 2007 and 225 died last year in 2008. " Eighty per cent of the zoo's animals are endangered species. " When asked about the value of the animals that died, Dr Mohamad said: " We don't put a value to the animals since the animals were sourced through animal exchanges with other zoos. " These deaths and Zoo Negara's dire need for funds has prompted calls that the 46-year-old zoo be taken over and run by the government. It is now managed by the Malaysian Zoological Society (MZS), a non-governmental organization. It was reported last week that it takes RM9 million a year to run the zoo and RM3m for continuous development. Zoo Negara animal welfare committee chairman Prof Dr Zulkifli Idrus said the animals' deaths were not related to the lack of funds. " The welfare of the animals is our priority. If we lack funds, we cut down on other things. " He, however, could not say what caused the deaths. Mohd Khan Momin Khan, who is one of Zoo Negara's founding members, said the government should take over the zoo and run it as a government-linked company (GLC). The former Wildlife and National Parks Department director-general said this formula had proved successful in Singapore and there was merit in Malaysia adopting a similar approach. " The Singapore Zoo is a good example of a successful zoo. " It is run by Temasek Holdings which is an investment company under the Singapore government since 1975. " Dr Roy Sirimanne, who has 40 years of experience with zoos and parks in many parts of the world, and was a vet at the Singapore Zoo for 10 years, agreed. " Zoo Negara should become a GLC. That would mean transparency, accountability, and good governance, " said Dr Roy, who is also a life member of the Malaysian Zoological Society. Khan said the Wildlife and National Parks Department should conduct surprise checks on the zoo at least once a week to ensure that the animals' welfare was taken care of. " What the zoo needs is a good leader. This is lacking now. The problem with MZS is that its membership is controlled. There are rival groups and they own the members. " Another option, said Khan, was for the government to set up a department of zoos to look after the welfare of the country's zoos. Khan said Zoo Negara should not be relocated. " It's convenient, accessible and very well-known to the people. " It is prime land and many are eyeing this land. There are still 17ha that have not been developed. This is a good place for the zoo. " The former assistant director of Zoo Negara, Dr S. Vellayan, said the zoo should be left at its current location for historical reasons. " It's in a good location but the state government and Federal Government did not protect the zoo. They allowed developers to encroach into it. " However, he added that while money should be spent on improving and maintaining the zoo, no money should be spent on expansion. " For example, the waste water from washing cages currently flows into the lake. " They should have a system like in the United States where such water would flow into sanitary ponds where the effluents would be taken care of. " The pipelines in the zoo are very old and the water supply is contaminated. This is one of the causes of the deaths of the animals. " Dr Vellayan said the Federal Government should look into having another national zoo on a grand scale with an open concept in a different location, bearing in mind the topography and accessibility. Another MZS life member, Dr M. Yusof Said, said Zoo Negara should remain in its current location. " Zoos in London and Zurich are also in the middle of the city. If you want to build another zoo, go ahead and build it but leave Zoo Negara as it is. " He said Zoo Negara should be preserved as a national heritage site. " How many children have walked through Zoo Negara and been fascinated by it? Zoo Negara is just sick, it is not dead. " If buildings can become a national heritage site, why not Zoo Negara? " Dr Roy is also in favour of the zoo remaining where it is. " It is wonderfully located and accessible to all Malaysians. The only thing wrong now is the management, all at the expense of the animals. " *Allegations of corruption* KUALA LUMPUR: Allegations are being made about corruption at Zoo Negara. Complaints lodged with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) last year include the following allegations: - Misappropriation of RM8.2 million under the 8th Malay-sia Plan. - Outsourcing of entrance fee collection, which is against the society's constitution. - RM6,800 being paid mon-thly as kickbacks over five years, and - Granting of the tender for a restaurant in the zoo to an unregistered company. " Our investigations are 80 per cent completed. So far we have recorded the testimonies of 15 witnesses and we expect to complete everything within two weeks, " says MACC investigations commissioner Datuk Mohd Shukri Abdul. --\ -------------------------------- 'National Zoo's mortality rate among the lowest' Thu, Aug 06, 2009 New Straits Times KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: The majority of deaths that occur at Zoo Negara are short-living birds and rodents as well as sick and injured animals received from the public. Malaysian Zoological Society (MZS), which manages the zoo, said despite this, the zoo's animal mortality rate at four per cent is among the lowest compared to other zoos in the country. MZS president Datuk Ismail Hutson said large animals such as elephants, tigers, giraffes, hippopotamus were outliving their counterparts in the jungles. " In fact, the true indication of animal health is their fertility rate and we're faced with a birth boom, especially among the Nile hippopotamus. " Our resident milky and painted storks which were once close to extinction have been successfully bred to a healthy population of about 70 and 361 respectively. " He said the milky storks with a worldwide population of 5,550 in 2002, were being distributed from breeding grounds in the zoo, to sanctuaries all over the country. Ismail was responding to allegations by sources in the New Sunday Times that large numbers of rare animals and birds at the zoo had died due to unsuitable living conditions and failure to upgrade amenities. " These sources who are bringing up this issue and trying to smear our good name are former council members and MZS life members. " They should bring up whatever issues they have with us and not try to make an issue of the whole thing. " Ismail also criticised former zoo assistant director and veterinary division head Dr S. Vellayan, who was quoted saying the cause of animal deaths was due to water contamination. " We should note that during Dr Vellayan's time, the animal mortality rate was 9.5 per cent and after he left the figure has dropped to about four per cent over the last three years. " Ismail said one of the zoo's founding members, Mohd Khan Momin Khan, who suggested the authorities regularly check on the welfare of animals there, had received 17 Sambar deer from the zoo for his farm in 2001. " If he felt Zoo Negara was not taking good care of its animals why was he interested in getting animals from us? " he asked. Ismail confirmed the Malaysian Anti Corruption Council was investigating allegations of corruption and mismanagement of funds at the zoo involving a RM8.1 million (S$3.3 million) government allocation under the Eighth Malaysia Plan. " We'll wait for the MACC to complete its investigations. " Ismail said at present, the zoo's gate collection, sponsorship and other income were sufficient to cover the RM9 million (S$3.7 million) cost in maintaining its 5,437 animal exhibits. He said it was hoping to get government allocation of about RM2 million (S$820, 000) a year for development works. --\ --- Thursday August 6, 2009 Zoo Negara hopes to get more tropical animals KUALA LUMPUR: Zoo Negara is looking at expanding its collection of animals, especially those from the tropics. Malaysian Zoological Society chairman Datuk Ismail Hutson said the zoo was hoping to increase the percentage of its tropical animals from 60% to 90% or 100%. " We are targeting to become a world-class zoo by 2015, so hopefully before that we can expand the collection of our animals. " We prefer to concentrate on local tropical animals. If possible, we want to have a collection of every tropical animal in the region. " he told *The Star *. The zoo has been working closely with the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) through the years to achieve that, said Ismail, adding that even the department faced problems in acquiring tropical animals. " These animals, for example, the rhinoceros, Malaysian gaur and Siamang are becoming very rare. Maybe we can get them from Indonesia but it takes time. " We have a few gaur and only one Siamang here. If we have more, they can breed, " he said. Ismail, along with Zoo Negara director Dr Mohamad Ngah and Zoo Negara animal welfare committee chairman Prof Dr Zulkifli Idrus have also refuted a news report on Aug 2 which painted the zoo management in a negative light, said Ismail, adding that it may cause sponsors to pull out. He said the false information was spread by some council members who " may have a personal agenda " . The welfare of animals is the utmost priority for the management, said Dr Zulkifli, adding that the zoo " s mortality rate last year (4%) was a standard one and the lowest in eight years. " People also overlook the fertility rate, which is a good indicator of the welfare of the animals, " he said. Meanwhile, Dr Mohamad revealed that the zoo needs RM2mil a year to attain world-class standard in 2015. �The zoo�s income mainly comes from the gate collection (which is around RM8mil a year), sponsorships and donations. They are sufficient to cover operational expenses. However, in order to become world-class, we need more funds to develop and expand the zoo,� he said. --\ ---Vet: Let zoo truth be told 2009/08/10 *By R. Sittamparam* *KUALA LUMPUR:* Malaysian Zoological Society (MZS) members are not telling the truth about the sorry state of the zoo. A former veterinarian at the zoo, Dr S. Vellayan, claims he had enough documents to support his allegation that the zoo was being mismanaged. " I compiled these documents during the 28 years that I had served the zoo. These records were compiled on the advice of the zoo's founder, the late Tan Sri V.M. Hutson, the father of the present chairman, Datuk Ismail Hutson. " The records comprise the animals' veterinary medical reports, including the cause of deaths, births, transfers and exports. " He said the zoo is situated on former mining land that was used for cattle farms, and this posed the risk of diseases infecting the animals kept there. He said the river running through Zoo Negara is constantly polluted by development activities and waste from upstream, killing many animals including crocodiles, birds and primates. " In 1984, when many animals died, we collected bacteria samples from the animals and found that they matched with water samples taken from the lake and the river in the zoo. " He said recent studies done by university students at Sungai Kemensah found the water was contaminated with a variety of bacteria and protozoan parasites. Dr Vellayan is urging the government to listen to critics of the zoo management for the sake of the animals kept there. He said this was important as many of the critics had served at the zoo and were knowledgeable on zoo matters. " They know exactly what needs to be done to improve the zoo management. " He also urged the government authorities that oversee zoo matters to investigate and uncover the truth behind cases of animals dying because of unsanitary conditions and of animals being slaughtered at the zoo. " I am willing to cooperate with the authorities any time. " Dr Vellayan was commenting on MZS' criticism against him and former MZS council members for highlighting animal deaths and mismanagement of Zoo Negara in a New Sunday Times report (Aug 20). Commenting on MZS's claim that during Dr Vellayan's time at the zoo, the animal mortality rate was 9.5 per cent and dropped to four per cent after he left, he said: " I do not agree with their figures. MZS needs to substantiate their claims by revealing the death register book. " Dr Vellayan said MZS' criticism of Mohd Khan Momin Khan, a founding member of the zoo who they claimed had received 17 Sambar deer from the zoo, was not true. " In fact, Mohd Khan, who was a consultant for the farm belonging to Punca Niaga which received the deer, had paid for the animals. " He said in 2001, he was responsible for recommending to the MZS that the Sambar deer be given away to anyone who wanted them after he found out that MZS was slaughtering them for the meat. This was because MZS wanted to clear the deer and use the enclosure to put up four food outlets on the site. Dr Vellayan said MZS was also guilty of slaughtering a 25-year-old Indian Gaur named " Thurai " recently. The animal, which had sired the entire stock of Indian Gaur in the zoo, was given by Mohd Khan when he was Wildlife and National Parks Department director. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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