Desy Nurhayati , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta

The Center for Orangutan Protection (COP) is urging the Forestry Ministry to enhance its monitoring of how orangutans are treated in zoos across the country, after finding out most of the primates were not well looked after in their compounds.

After conducting a month-long observation in five big zoos last month, the group found the zoo managements had neglected the protected species’ welfare.

The research, which was conducted in Surabaya Zoo in East Java, Taru Jurug Zoo in Surakarta, Gembira Loka Zoo in Yogyakarta, Tamansari Zoo in Bandung and Ragunan Zoo in Jakarta, gave each of the 28 orangutans observed an eight-hour examination.

The group revealed some of the primates were distressed because they lacked proper facilities while captive, including inadequate water access and a lack of areas to play.

According to a consensus by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the standards of animal welfare include the right to sufficient and proper meals, physical comfort, freedom to behave normally and to be free from any physical and mental disorders.

Some activists campaigning for orangutan welfare have also argued orangutans were the human being’s closest kin; therefore their needs were almost the same as that of humans, which included a variety of sceneries and privacy.

“Some of the orangutans were placed in cages alone and were not given playing facilities, thus making them stressed,” COP researcher Luki Wardhani told a press conference Wednesday.

She said their distress was highlighted by anomalous behaviors, such as self-inflicting pain and eating regurgitated food.

Out of the 28 orangutans, 22 were placed in enclosures resembling a small island and six others were put in concrete cages.

“Those placed in cages suffered more, because they only had limited mobility,” Luki said.

The orangutans also became distressed as they were exploited.

“They were forced to perform in front of the zoo visitors, but they were not well fed,” she said, adding animal shows and public feeding were also a major cause of stress.

Their state of distress made them more prone to diseases because they became less immune, she said.

According to the group, the zoo with the worst conditions for orangutans was Taru Jurug Zoo, while the conditions in Ragunan and Gembira Loka looked better.

COP captivity campaign manager Seto Hari Wibowo said zoos were meant to be a conservation place for endangered species because they were also threatened in their natural habitat due to rampant forest destructions.

“Zoos should be places we can rely on to protect orangutans, but … they have failed to support conservation efforts because they do not take good care of the species,” he said.

Therefore, the group urged the government to enhance its monitoring of orangutan conservation in zoos.

Source: The Jakarta Post

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