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Abandoned animals |
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More and more animals are being surrendered to Zoo Negara and sometimes, the animals are just left at its gates. “Numbers have grown tremendously since 2002 and seems to coincide with the spread of the pet trade,” says Zoo Negara director Dr Mohamad Ngah. He says most of the surrendered animals are those commonly kept as pets. For instance, more than half of the over 900 animals sent to the park between 1996 and this October were reticulated pythons, red-eared terrapins, green iguanas, rabbits, gerbils and guinea pigs. The reasons for giving up the animals are varied – the owners no longer have time to care for the animals or have left home for further studies; a family member has fallen sick; the animal is getting dangerous or attacking family members; and the animal is ill or was found injured. The park accepts the animals for humane reasons but the animal dumping poses management problems for the Malaysian Zoological Society-run facility. Some animals arrive at the zoo ill or malnourished. Feeding and handling them incur costs. There is also the fear of the animals bringing diseases into the park. Mohamad says the animals are quarantined for three months before they can go into enclosures, during which they are checked for diseases, worms and blood parasites. So, they take up the limited quarantine space the zoo has. |
As the park is unable to keep all the animals dropped at its doorstep, it gives some to other zoos. Unfortunately, some end up as animal feed. Mohamad says reticulated pythons are fed to cobras and rabbits, to crocodiles. Primates, however, are released into forests in Janda Baik, Pahang, as they will attack each other in shared enclosures. The park does not accept species listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) for fear of illegal origins. “For such animals, we will direct the owners to Perhilitan (the National Parks and Wildlife Protection Department). But if the animals are just left at the zoo, we have no choice but to accept and then hand them over to Perhilitan.” While most of the animals given to the park are common pets, it does get the occasional rare species. The park has received two baby Malayan sun bears since last year, surrendered by timber workers. The bears will be used for breeding purposes. A major concern is the high number of slow lorises sent to the zoo since 1996 – 45. It reflects a growing trend in keeping this animal. Keeping slow lorises is against the law as it is a “totally protected” species under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. Though cute and cuddly, slow lorises do not make safe pets. They are essentially wild beasts with a mean bite. “They have sharp teeth and when they bite, they pull out the flesh like pythons,” says Mohamad. “They are nice when young but when they grow big, they are difficult to handle.” |
Mohamad believes that for the number of animals sent to Zoo Negara, many more are indiscriminately released into the wild. “The figures we get are just the tip of the iceberg. If these animals are simply released, they might pose a problem in the long run as many are not native species.” Urging for a control on introduction of foreign fauna species, Mohamad says Perhilitan should check on pet shops. These premises now number some 150 in the Klang Valley alone, and almost all sell exotic species. What You Can Do Don’t buy a pet just because it is cute or is a novelty. Ask the following before you make that purchase from the pet store: · Is it an endangered or protected species? You cannot keep a “totally protected” species and need a licence to keep a “protected” species. · Does the pet store have a permit to trade in the animal? · Was the animal legally sourced? Was it caught from the wild or captive-bred? (No matter what the pet shop says, all Indian star tortoises are illegal since India has banned trade in them.) · Is it a wild species that is difficult to keep as a pet? Are you able to care for the animal?
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