PETALING JAYA: Weeks after Malaysians voiced outrage over the condition of Kelat, the Asian elephant relocated to Japan, a new video has surfaced allegedly showing a visibly emaciated tiger at Tennoji Zoo.
The 29-second clip, which has been circulating on social media, shows the animal appearing frail and cowering in a corner.
“Just look at the tigers at the zoo in Japan. I can’t stand to watch. Are they really incapable of looking after animals?
“Do we also want our elephants there to suffer the same fate? This is extremely cruel,” said a Threads user, gazelle.64528627, in a caption accompanying the video.
Similar concerns have been raised across multiple platforms, with users questioning the treatment of animals at the zoo.
Kelat was among three Asian elephants relocated from Taiping Zoo and Night Safari to Tennoji Zoo earlier this year. The other two are Dara and Amoi.
Earlier this month, photos and videos showing Kelat with a damaged left tusk went viral, prompting calls from Malaysians for the mahouts to be sent to Japan.
While the Peninsular Malaysia Wildlife and National Parks Department said the trimming of Kelat’s right tusk was part of veterinary treatment and conservation management, Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Arthur Joseph Kurup has called for the elephants to be brought home.
He said this follows concerns that Japan’s climate may be unsuitable for the elephants and that one of them, Kelat, had sustained an injury.
The minister also stressed that the decision to relocate the elephants to Tennoji Zoo in Osaka was made under a previous administration.
He noted that the move, finalised in 2022, was part of a business-to-business agreement between Zoo Taiping and Night Safari and Tennoji Zoo.
