Death of elephant Mali sheds light on harmful impacts of zoos: group

Vishamali, popularly known as Mali, died on Tuesday after four decades of living inside an enclosure at Manila Zoo. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN

MANILA: An animal welfare advocacy group said the death of Mali, the country’s one and only elephant at the Manila Zoo, serves as a reminder of the harm caused by captive wildlife exhibits.

The Earth Island Institute Philippines (EIIPH) stressed that wild animals like Mali belong in their natural habitats and “not as captive spectacles for human amusement.”