TEMPO.CO, Bandung - Sustyo Iriono, head of the Natural Conservation Agency (BKSDA) West Java chapter, said that his office plans to file a report to the Environment and Forestry Ministry against Bandung Zoo over a skinny sun bear as reported by Indonesia-based Scorpion Foundation, a wildlife trade watchdog.
“The report results will be submitted soon to help the Minister make a decision,” Sustyo said on Sunday, January 22, 2017.
The report will include an explanation and the timeline of the plight of the sun bears, as well as the current state of Bandung Zoo. “Whether it will be shut down or not, it’s the Ministry’s decision,” he said.
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On January 21, BKSDA West Java held talks with all parties, namely Bandung Zoo management, the Scorpion Foundation and the Indonesian Zoo Association (PKBSI), to discuss the case. “No conclusion or recommendation was made, they have their own opinions,” Sustyo said.
He said that the video uploaded by Scorpion Foundation showing a skinny sun bear was recorded on May last year after the death of an elephant named Yani in the same zoo. The BKSDA West Java, PKBSI and Taman Safari Indonesia had conducted thorough supervision on Bandung Zoo. “The bears were among those screened, given drugs and continued to be monitored for improvement,” he said.
Three months later in August, the sun bear named Kardin had gained weight and was in good condition. Moreover, the sun bears were allowed to get out of the cage to get sun rays in order to eradicate parasites in their body. “But due to old age, we can see his ribs,” he said.
The Scorpion Foundation recorded the plight of the sun bears in Bandung Zoo in mid-2016, showing a sun bear that looks thin, while four others were begging for food from visitors and eating their own dung. The watchdog claimed it had launched a petition to save the Bandung Zoo sun bears.
ANWARD SISWADI