Suffering: A Sumatran tiger lies ill in its dilapidated enclosure at the Medan Zoo, in Medan, North Sumatra. The 30ha zoo is in a state of neglect. — The Jakarta Post/ANN
FOUR Sumatran tigers at Medan Zoo in North Sumatra are reportedly severely ill as a result of institutional mismanagement and a funding crisis, prompting the central government to intervene in the zoo’s operations to help care for the animals. Over the past two months, three other Sumatran tigers were found dead at the zoo.
Bambang Hendarto, acting president director of city-owned development firm Pembangunan Kota Medan, which oversees the Medan Zoo, said after the deaths of the three tigers that the zoo’s management and the North Sumatra Natural Resources Conservation Agency (Bksda) had immediately conducted medical check-ups on the animals at the zoo, with a particular focus on the tigers.
The agencies found that tigers were indeed sick and had been so for a long time. “We tried to treat their sickness, but it will be very hard for the tigers to recover,” Bambang said yesterday.
He said the Medan Zoo had 10 tigers in its care but that their enclosures were in disrepair as the zoo had not undergone any maintenance since its construction in 2005.
“We don’t have the funds [for repairs], and the company’s finances have dropped dramatically since Covid-19. We also don’t receive any help from the (regional budget), so it’s really hard on us,” Bambang said.
He added that the zoo could still afford food for the animals as it was receiving corporate social responsibility aid from some private companies, as well as support from the Indonesian Zoo Association and the North Sumatra Bksda.
“We have no problems with food, although we did have some debts to vendors, as over the last three months we have not been able to pay (for the animals’ feed),” Bambang said, adding that the Medan Zoo currently had about 116 animals of 30 different species.
The Environment and Forestry Ministry’s director general for natural resources and ecosystem conservation, Satyawan Pudyatmoko, said the ministry was assisting the zoo.
“The environment ministry and the Indonesian Zoo Association are currently helping the Medan Zoo’s management of its animals,” Satyawan said on Wednesday, Antara reported.
“We hope the Medan Zoo, with the help of regional administrations (in Medan) and other stakeholders, can make the improvements it needs to stay in operation,” Satyawan said.
Medan Zoo manager Pernius Harefa said it owed about US$19,190 (RM90,480) to vendors for animal feed from August to November 2023 and that in the past four months the zoo had also been struggling to pay its employees because of a dramatic drop of visitors after the pandemic.
“We are in a financial crisis,” Pernius said.
According to Medan Zoo head of bookkeeping Ahmad Arfan, before the pandemic the zoo had about 3,000 visitors on weekends and 400 on weekdays, but now the zoo only saw 300 visitors on weekends and 50 on weekdays. — The Jakarta Post/ANN
