The Bengkulu Zoo in Sumatra is so appalling that many animals are left without food and water or live in solitary confinement in cages choked with garbage
SUMATRA: Investigators from the Indonesian Friends of the Animals (Ifota), a non-governmental organisation, were shocked to find animals in Bengkulu Zoo in Sumatra, Indonesia left with no food or water and held captive in dilapidated cages choked in garbage of every kind and manner.
“The condition of this zoo is very regretful and probably the worst in the world,” the statement issued by Ifoto said.
Representatives of Ifoto also alleged that they have witnessed a crocodile struggling to keep cool in a patch of polluted water only an inch deep while primates were found without any food or water in sight.
They also claimed some animal cages were held together only by string and that the stench of decay was present everywhere.
Senior investigator Marison Guciano said, “Bengkulu Zoo must be closed down before the remaining animals die. We are sure many have already died through neglect.”
Located in Bengkulu City, Bengkulu Province of Sumatra, the zoo and its inhabitants have been abandoned by its owners and by Balai Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam (BKSDA), a government body in charge of wildlife conservation.
Guciano continued, “Indonesian Friends of the Animals appeal to BKSDA to help these suffering animals before they die of neglect and starvation.”
The Indonesian News Agency Antara published a report on April 29, highlighting the dreadful conditions at the zoo and quoted Drs Lamhir Syam Sinaga Msi of Bengkulu University as saying, the conditions were regretfully not well managed.
“There are only a few animals at the zoo, skinny animals, and the infrastructures are damaged,” he said.
