Vets Find Poor Sanitation, Sick Animals at Bandung Zoo After Elephant's Death
Jakarta. Just two days into their investigation at the temporarily closed Bandung Zoo in West Java, veterinarians have already uncovered several problems, ranging from poor sanitation, dilapidated cages, to a pen filled with deer suffering from an infectious skin disease.
"We found many deer that are suffering from a skin infection, which has affected the entire pen," Indonesian Veterinarian Association (PDHI) West Java chairwoman Sri Mujiarti Ningsih told Detik.com on Sunday (15/05). "The drainage system does not work, so the pen gets too wet when it rains, thus creating a breeding ground for all sorts of diseases."
Sri said her team had not yet concluded their investigation, which began on Friday, but that they can already declare that the zoo is far below the acceptable standard.
The zoo was closed after a 34-year-old Sumatran elephant mysteriously died late on Wednesday afternoon. The elephant named Yani, which had been paralyzed for more than a week, was found dead with bruises on its body.
The West Java Natural Resources Conservation Agency is performing an autopsy on the elephant while a team of experts assesses conditions at the zoo.
The Bandung Zoo encompasses an area of 14 hectares and it houses more than 930 animals from 200 habitats. The zoo is operated by private firm Marga Satwa Taman Sari, which Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil recently criticized for its incompetent management.
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