TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Melanie, a female Sumatran tiger that belongs to Surabaya zoo collection faces euthanasia as she is hardly recovering from severe diseases she has been sufrering for five years. The 16-year-old big cat is now living in a quarantine cage of Indonesia Safari Park (TSI) in Cisarua, Bogor, West Java.
According to TSI Bogor vet, Retno Sundarwati, Melanie is having a severe digestion disorder that decreases the function of some of her organs. The cause of the disease had only been found last year, which is formalin and preservatives on her food.
When Tempo visited her last month, Melanie's weight was recorded only 48.5 kilograms. Another healthy tiger in other cage weighs a normal of 75 kilograms. "Melanie is getting old and suffering from diseases," said Retno on Thursday.
In a larger treatment cage, Melanie is starting to move more actively. "She is not too energetic; her health improvement is also insignificant," said the vet. The doctors and keepers are now carrying duty to maintain Melanie’s life by giving the best food and treatments.
Director of TSI Bogor Tony Sumampau revealed there was a recommendation to end Melanie’s life due to her pathetic condition. However, an animal lover organization from Australia rejected the recommendation and gave out pharmaceuticals to improve Melanie’s health. According to Tony, the decision of euthanasia on Melanie is currently in the government's hand.
ANWAR SISWADI