Conservation Agency Probes Bandung Zoo After Elephant`s Death
13 May 2016 06:34 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Bandung - Natural Resources Conservation Center (BBKSDA) West Java will examine the health of 900 animals of Bandung Zoo’s collection in the wake of the death of a sumatran elephant of the zoo owned by Yayasan Margasatwa Tamansari from illness and negligence on Wednesday.
“We will do it [examine the animals] because we are afraid there would be any virus spreading to other locations. Moreover, there are three other living elephants, we have to prevent them from getting [ill], too” said the Head of BBKSDA West Java Sylvana Ratina on Thursday in Bandung.
BBKSDA West Java will also deploy its officers to monitor the condition of the zoo and the animal collection for 30 days, according to him.
“The officers will be on stand-by for the next 30 days to see if the operator has made improvements after the incident. We will give the operator a chance,” Sylvana said.
Sri Mujiarti Ningsih, Head of Animal Disease Examination and Research and Veterinarian Community Health Department West Java, said her personnel have taken blood samples of the other three elephants in Bandung Zoo for examination.
“The blood samples of the other three elephants will be examined at Cikole Animal Hospital West Java,” she said.
She added that in the mean time, Bandung Zoo visitors are not allowed to get near the location where Yani the elephant was dead. “We have also closed the elephant’s cage for the time being,” she said.
ANTARA