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Journalism of Courage
The tigers are emaciated and the 180 pelicans packed so tightly they cannot unfurl their wings without hitting a neighbour. Last week,a giraffe died with a beachball-sized wad of plastic food wrappers in its belly.
That death has focussed new attention on the scandalous conditions at Indonesias largest zoo. Set up nearly a century ago in one the most biologically diverse corners of the planet,it once boasted the most impressive collection in Southeast Asia.
But today the Surabaya Zoo is a nightmare,plagued by uncontrolled breeding,a lack of funding for general animal welfare and even persistent suspicions that members of its own staff are involved in illegal wildlife trafficking.
Incredibly rare species,including Komodo dragons and critically endangered orangutans,sit in dank,unsanitary cages,filling up on peanuts tossed over the fence by giggling visitors.
This is extremely tragic,but of course by no means surprising in Indonesias zoos, said Ian Singleton,a former zookeeper. The zoo came under heavy fire two years ago following reports that 25 of its 4,000 animals were dying every month,almost all of them prematurely. They included an African lion,a Sumatran tiger and several crocodiles.
The government appointed an experienced zookeeper,Tony Sumampouw,to clean up the operation and he struggled to bring the mortality rate down to about 15 per month. But following last weeks death of the 30-year-old giraffe Kliwon,who had for years been eating trash thrown into its pen and was found with a 18-kg ball of plastic in its stomach,Sumampouw said hes all but given up.
Nothing short of a total renovation is needed,he said. We need to either think about privatising or transferring out some of the animals. With entrance fees of less than $2,critics say theres not enough money. Species at the zoo are bred to excess. There are 180 pelicans and 16 tigers.
One white tiger,whose parents were donated by the Indian government 20 years ago,is now covered by skin lesions. Let out so rarely,she suffers from back complications that make it difficult to just stand up,let alone walk.
