Reviews to protect at-risk species
Inspections nationwide will be conducted on all zoos and animal parks that house endangered species, such as giant pandas, tigers and snub-nosed monkeys, to ensure that the animals are well cared for, according to a top wildlife official.
Wang Weisheng, deputy director of wildlife conservation and nature reserve management at the State Forestry Administration, said in an exclusive interview the checks will be conducted by a team of wildlife specialists.
“If a zoo or wildlife park fails to meet our technical criteria, we will suspend it from keeping and displaying endangered animals,” he said.
“But if we find our criteria are out of date, we will review and improve our standards.”
He did not say when the inspections would start or how many venues could be included.
Zoos must get approval from their local forestry administrations to keep animals with national-level protected status. They can then buy, loan or exchange those animals with other approved zoos and breed for offspring.
The State Forestry Administration launched similar nationwide inspections in 2010, targeting wildlife parks, zoos and circuses to address concerns about abuse, wrongful death and illegal sales of protected animals.
According to a notice released in October 2010,
any illegal activity uncovered during the inspection could lead to a business being suspended, its license to keep or breed endangered species being revoked, confiscation of the animals and financial penalties. Serious cases also would be handed over to the police for criminal investigation.
China’s zoos have again become the target of public anger after reported cases of neglect and the deaths of endangered animals, including elephants, tigers and even giant pandas.
In January, the deaths of two pandas on loan to Shanghai Wild Animal Park led to accusations that the venue’s facilities were unsuitable for care of the animals. It was later reported by multiple news sources that five pandas had died there in a decade.
Animal performances at zoos and wildlife parks also have been a major talking point on social media, with some calling for an outright ban.
Hu Chunmei, head of the Saving Performing Animals Project, which is run by the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation, a private NGO in Beijing, said zoos should focus on protecting animals, not exploiting them.
“Some zoos allow tourists to feed live chickens to tigers or lions or take up-close photos with lion cubs. That is all wrong. Visitors may think tigers are not dangerous,” she said, adding that all forms of performance or interaction with humans should be halted.
Peng Zhenxin, director of the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens, said zoos should regulate themselves, weed out outdated management techniques and pay more attention to their main responsibilities, which are protecting wildlife and educating visitors.