Bangkok Post - Animals' welfare is largely ignored

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http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/09Aug2002_news31.html

 

Animals' welfare is largely ignored

Friday 09 August 2002 | Bangkok Post

 

Wasant Techawongtham

 

The soap opera at the zoo is getting to be a bit bewildering. We are being

led to believe that the death of a baby hippo was a conspiracy by people

bent on damaging the reputation of the Zoological Park Organisation. The

target was supposedly the directorship of the mother zoo itself.

 

That makes me wonder: What makes it such a coveted position that could turn

a person, or persons, into something of a baby killer?

 

The organisation has an annual budget of less than 400 million baht, small

as far as government agencies go. But we learned that there are

income-generating activities that make it alluring, things like parking and

food, for instance. That makes it plausible that someone would go to such

lengths to gain the top job. People have killed for less.

 

However, this is like saying the job provides extra returns other than a

regular salary. That makes me wonder whether these extras are

government-sanctioned perks or income that should have gone into the state

coffers but have been diverted into private pockets instead.

 

Someone should look into this and sort things out.

 

What goes on at Dusit Zoo is of interest to me and millions of others

because it is invariably a part of life for Bangkokians.

 

As a child, I loved to visit the zoo that we knew then as Khao Din. It was

nice to get out of the neighbourhood and go some place where they let you

feed the giraffes and elephants and fish and watch monkeys do their antics.

 

As I grew up, though, my view of zoos changed. Now they are more like places

where animals are prisoners or where the purpose of them being captive is

purely entertaining not educational.

 

However, I have nothing against people going to the zoo to gawk at animals

and be entertained as long as the animals receive proper care and treatment.

But that's not always the case even though the philosophy behind zoo-keeping

has changed over the years and zoos in general have become more humane.

Animals get more open space. Various species that can co-exist are kept

together in an effort to emulate their natural habitat.

 

Yet many zoos lag behind. My family and I visited Khao Din two months ago _

the first time for me in over a decade. The zoo has changed, but not for the

better.

 

Cars were allowed inside to park on the kerb-side along narrow streets that

should have been reserved for walking or essential vehicles doing zoo

business. Many had to roam about, looking for a space, forcing visitors to

give way and belching out exhaust fumes that were inhaled by both humans and

animals.

 

Then there was the noise, the kind that you'd find at a temple fair or

weekend market. There was a stadium for animal shows. The noise there was

loud though tolerable. But right next to an animal exhibition for children

was a stage where some kind of game show was conducted and the loudspeakers

set on squeaky high. After a while, we could take it no longer.

 

How other children and their parents could stand it, I don't know. More

importantly, how did the animals take it? It seemed the zoo staff didn't

have the slightest idea or give a hoot.

 

The way the animals are treated does not reflect well on the zoo keepers and

administrators. It makes you wonder whether they are there _ for the

animals' welfare or the other way around?

 

Remember Mike the orangutan? He died because ``kind'' people were allowed to

feed him all sorts of junk. The Lop Buri zoo manager was reportedly afraid

to prohibit the feeding because the visitors had good intentions.

 

The death of Mike and Baby Hippo is a symptom of poor management. The

scandal at Khao Din is not that a baby hippo was killed but that the

animals' welfare is being sacrificed to please human visitors, and neither

come out ahead.

 

- Wasant Techawongtham is Deputy News Editor for Environment and Urban

Affairs, Bangkok Post.