Zoo Negara has been in the limelight in recent times for all the wrong reasons.
Remember the whole issue with the skinny lion and Zoo Negara's response?
If you don't know what happened, read this: Zoo Negara Changes Story; Now Says Skinny Lion Not Eating Because It's Too Busy Trying To Mate
In April this year, Zoo Negara also got called out by the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) for having dens that failed to meet
the minimum size requirements by law.
The @waza requires its members to comply with the law. 7 years after the 2013 Op of Zoo regulations came into force, & despite @PERHILITAN monitoring zoos, WAZA member #ZooNegara still keeps chimps & o'utans in non-compliant, inhumane dens. @drshamsulanuar @KSUKATS7 @jpmgov_ pic.twitter.com/S1Smg4MfDD
— Friends of the Orangutans (@fotorangutans) June 9, 2020
Malay Mail reported that Perhilitan concluded that the zoo’s night dens for its large primates were only 1.86 metres in length and width and 3.35 metres in height.
This violated guidelines stating that enclosures must be at least four metres in length and three metres in width and height for each animal.
Changing for the better
Good news is that the zoo has done something about it.
The zoo’s veterinary director Dr Mat Naim Ramli told Malay Mail that following Perhilitan's findings, the zoo had opened up the partitions between the dens turning 24 separate enclosures into either larger ones.
The eight enclosures would be used as night dens for their Sumatran orangutans and five chips.
“We acknowledge that the design of the night quarters does not meet the minimum size and space requirement as stated in the Wildlife Conservation (Operation of Zoo) (Amendment) Regulations 2013."
“To address the welfare issue and to meet the size requirement, we have permanently opened up the partitions and 24 units of night quarters have become only eight units," he said.
Still not fully compliant
However, Dr Mat Naim said that the width of each enclosure still doesn’t meet the minimum requirements under the law but said there are no plans to renovate the building to fix the problem as of now..gif.aspx)
“Width will maintain (as is) as it will require a total restructuring of the building.
“We will go for total space and size measurement,” said Dr Mat Naim.
The report said the issue first came to light after Friends of the Orangutans (Foto) obtained images of the cramped cages and highlighted the matter.