Tall order to replicate natural habitats in zoos

NEGATIVE reports on zoos have once again surfaced, with the focus on the Kemaman Zoo in Terengganu. Allegedly disgruntled Kemaman zoo employees have shared photographs of animals in tiny cages and an elephant chained outside in the rain with animal welfare activists.

The zoo pictures shown in social media speak volumes of the way in which animals are kept. Despite their professed concern for animals, zoos can more accurately be described as collections of interesting animals rather than as actual havens or homes. Even under the best circumstances at the best zoos, captivity cannot replicate the habitats of wild animals.

The wild may not be free from problems but animals have evolved over thousands of years, adapting to live in certain types of natural environments. Placing an animal in surroundings that are unsuitable for the species can cause stress and behavioural problems.

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) believes it’s best not to keep wild animals at all if their needs cannot be met, particularly if the animal is there for entertainment.

Presenting animals to zoo visitors as living trophies teaches children that animals can be manipulated to appease their curiosity. Zoos teach people that humans have the right to enslave animals and reinforces the notion that animals have no other purpose than for our benefit.

The disturbed and often bizarre behaviour of animals in zoos provides further evidence that holding these creatures in captivity is wrong. Zoo officials fail to recognise that animals have their own needs to be met. They should stop kidding themselves about the tremendous educational value of showing an animal behind a glass wall or in metal cages. It does not matter what is on display – people treat the exhibits as wallpaper.

What is unquestionable is that the majority of Malaysia’s odd zoos are run for little more than profit or entertainment, and the conditions within most are rarely above mediocre.

It’s time to assess how animal exhibitors licensed by the federal Government are complying with minimum animal welfare standards. The current system of licensing and inspection does not ensure that our zoos meet and maintain, let alone exceed, the minimum animal welfare standards.

SAM urges the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry and the Wildlife Department to cease granting permits for new zoos. Instead, they should focus on sub-standard zoos to ensure they meet the exacting standards of housing, husbandry, welfare and health for all their inhabitants. S. M. MOHD IDRIS President Sahabat Alam Malaysia