TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno has weighed in on the current situation of Medan Zoo, which is reportedly experiencing a financial crisis. The management of the wildlife park claimed they could not feed the animals and pay the employees due to limited resources.

Sandiaga urged the owner to take serious steps to manage the tourist area and pay more attention to animal health and the rights of its employees. “We immediately sent a letter to the management to seriously manage it before this continues to affect the health of the animals and to fulfill its obligations to the employees,” he said at his weekly discussion forum in Jakarta, on Wednesday, Jan. 10.

He said that the central government would help facilitate the zoo's management, as investors were interested in funding the country’s green tourism. “There are a lot of investors who want to invest because of the green tourism concept. I already note that three or five investors are interested [in green tourism],” Sandiaga Uno added.

The Medan Zoo has been in the public spotlight following the deaths of two Sumatran tigers in the past two months. The tigers were named Erha and Nurhaliza who died in November 2023 and December 2023, respectively.

Previously, Medan Mayor Bobby Nasution admitted that there were problems with the management of the zoo, located at Jalan Bunga Rampai IV, Medan Tuntungan District.

“There is a slight problem regarding the cooperation system. We have held talks with Raffi Ahmad (celebrity) and Safari Park to ensure better management,” he said in late 2023.

Bobby Nasution also continued to encourage RANS Entertainment, owned by Raffi Ahmad, to realize its investment plan to develop the 30-hectare Medan Zoo. “We are pushing Raffi to keep his promise to build it this year,” he claimed.

ANTARA

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