Elephant Dies Because of Neglect in Indonesian Zoo
The tragic moment this elephant shed tears before dying at #Indonesia‘s Bandung Zoo: https://t.co/LZg8wPjZ0c ? #RIP pic.twitter.com/2XLlPQRZTU
— PETA Asia (@PETAAsia) May 16, 2016
The West Java Natural Resources Conservation Agency is currently investigating why Yani, a Sumatran elephant who was living in a dirty, rusty cage, died earlier this week at the Bandung Zoo, located on the island of Java.
Some sources claim that she lay on the ground for more than a week, suffering and unable to move, before she was found dead with bruises on her body, and other sources suggest that she was left to battle an unknown life-threatening illness without medical attention. As she slowly died, tears rolled down her face.
The cause of Yani’s death is clear: She died from neglect.
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Help Shut Down the Bandung Zoo
A spokesperson for the Bandung Zoo, which has temporarily closed to examine the cause of Yani’s death and other cases of animal mistreatment, admitted that the zoo had been without a resident veterinarian for almost a year. The West Java Natural Resources Conservation Agency however, said that if zoo management had reported Yani’s case earlier, it would have sent veterinarians to help her.
This is not the first time that Bandung Zoo has come under fire. Nearly every one of the thousands of captive animals there is suffering from serious health issues and displaying signs of zoochosis. Zoos in Indonesia, on the whole, are poorly maintained. A rare Sumatran tiger—who suffered from various health problems and died of heart failure earlier this year—was the Surabaya Zoo’s latest victim.
Help Shut Down the Surabaya Zoo
Bandung’s mayor said that there is nothing he can do to help the zoo because it’s a privately run institution.
The zoo’s temporary closure is not enough to save the animals who are suffering there from neglect and abuse—it needs to be shut down permanently before more animals die for human entertainment.
If you care about elephants like Yani and all the other individuals serving life sentences in zoos, please avoid patronizing such “attractions” and pledge never to visit zoos again.
