The Heroes at Scorpion Wildlife Trade Monitoring Group Begins Quietly Providing Food to the Starving Sun Bears at Bandung Zoo

July 26, 2016

 

August 6, 2016 

August 15, 2016 

August 26th, 2016

September 15th, 2016

Video of Thin Orangutan in Awful Enclosure is Posted

Scorpion Wildlife Trade Monitoring Group posts a video of a thin Orangutan in a terrible habitat.

Two Videos Surface of Starving Sun Bears at Bandung Zoo

May 21, 2016 Scorpion Wildlife Trade Monitoring Group Posts Two Videos of Starving Sun  Bears.

Jakarta Globe: "Bandung Zoo Closed as Sumatran Elephant Dies from Neglect"

Jakarta Globe: "Bandung Zoo Closed as Sumateran Elephant Dies from Neglect"

Bandung. A 34-year-old Sumateran elephant mysteriously died at the Bandung Zoo in West Java on Wednesday afternoon (11/05). The elephant, named Yani, had lain prone on the ground for more than a week and was found dead with bruises on its body. The zoo has now been temporarily closed as officials began an investigation into the mysterious death.

West Java Natural Resources Conservation Agency head Sylvana Ratina told reporters the Sumateran elephant died at around 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

The agency will conduct an investigation and perform an autopsy on the elephant while the zoo is temporarily closed, she said.

“If they [the zoo management] reported the case to us earlier, we would've sent in our veterinarians. This is a clear case of neglect,” Sylviana said. Bandung Zoo spokesman Sudaryo defended the zoo, saying that its own veterinarian had resigned last year and that they have not been able to find a replacement with experience in handling wild animals.

Yani the elephant, who was born and raised at the Way Kambas National Park in Lampung, was relocated to Bandung Zoo when she was 12 years old. Later, the Sumateran elephant gave birth to a baby elephant named Yamon in the zoo.

The conservation agency also plans to perform medical check-ups to all the animals in Bandung Zoo after they ascertain the cause of the elephant's death, said Sylviana.
The Bandung Zoo stands on 14 hectares of land and has more than 930 animals from 200 habitats in its collection. The zoo is operated by private firm Marga Satwa Taman Sari, which was recently criticized by Bandung mayor Ridwan Kamil for its incompetent management.

Writing by Edo Karensa

________________________

Huffington Post: 'Heartbreaking Moment Elephant 'Sheds Tears' Before Dying At

Indonesia's Bandung Zoo"

'Bandung Mayor posts Instagram shots with elephant before it dies.'
12/05/2016 18:18 BS Steven Hopkins, Assistant News Editor

TIMUR MATAHARI VIA GETTY IMAGES

Yani the Sumatran elephant appeared to shed tears before she died at Indonesia's Bandung Zoo

This is the heartbreaking moment an elephant appeared to shed tears as it died in

squalor at Indonesia's Bandung Zoo.Yani the 34-year-old Sumatran elephant died on

Wednesday night while laying on the ground in chains at the zoo in West Java.


Zookeepers were said to have moved Yani from her cage, where she had spent

most of her life, after she fell ill last week. An investigation has been launched but the

cause of Yani's death has not yet been established.


Keepers at the zoo insisted they did all they could, providing the animal with

medicine and consulting vets, the Mirror reported, but it has since emerged that

the zoo has been without a resident vet for almost a year.


The West Java Nature Conservation Agency (BKSDA) slammed the zoo for not

assigning a vet to Yani, according to Merdeka.com.


“Having a vet is mandatory [for a zoo]. They haven’t had one for a year,” said

Sylvana Ratna, head of West Java BKSDA. Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil visited

Yani in her dying days and posted a picture on his Instagram account feeding and

patting the animal.


Following the visit he said: "If they don't have the budget to manage (the zoo),

they should seek support." More than 10,000 people are said to have signed a

petition calling for the zoo to be cleaned up.


Femke den Haas of the Jakarta Animal Aid Network has been quoted as saying

the rules governing Indonesian zoos are not clear enough, and that Yani's case

is "really just the top of the iceberg". 


The WWF estimates there are between 2,400 to 2,800 Sumatran elephants

left in the wild. The animal is classified as critically endangered by the International

Union for Conservation of Nature.

Bandung Zoo Fails to Prevent Inbreeding of Sumatran Tigers

Lack of males leads to tiger inbreeding

• Arya Dipa
  

  The Jakarta Post

Bandung | Wed, April 2, 2014 | 09:29 am

The Bandung Zoo has been deemed neglectful in its conservation function as it reportedly failed to prevent inbreeding among its Sumatran tigers, one of six tiger subspecies listed as extremely endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

If we're called negligent, that's OK as it's the reality. It is what happened; we can't cover it up,' said zoo spokesman Sudaryo in Bandung on Tuesday when announcing the birth of a Sumatran tiger.

He revealed that the cub was the seventh of a 21-year-old female Sumatran tiger named Wage and the first with her new partner Manik, which was donated by former West Java Military commander Maj. Gen. (ret) Iwan Sulanjana. 

'The cub was born on March 28,' Sudaryo said, adding that the Bandung Zoo currently had 11 Sumatran tigers and one Bengal tiger.

Previously, Wage gave birth to her sixth cub after mating with a 14-year-old male called Meilino, which is her own offspring, he disclosed.

Meilino, added Sudaryo, was the first cub of Wage and Budi, which both came from the Gembira Loka Zoo in Yogyakarta.

From the pairing, Wage gave birth to Marta and Marti in 2001, followed by Fitra and Fitri in 2003.

'€œAfter that, Budi, died from an illness. We no longer had any other [unrelated] male studs. Wage then mated with Meilino and had Yopi on May 26, 2011,'€ said Sudaryo.

Inbreeding between Sumatran tigers at the Bandung Zoo, added Sudaryo, could not be prevented due to a lack of studs, as efforts by the zoo management to obtain male tigers from other conservation institutions had proven futile.

Inbreeding in a conservation institution should be prevented. Indonesian Zoo Association (PKBSI) secretary-general Tony Sumampauw said the government had clearly regulated matters pertaining to breeding in Government Regulation No. 7/1999 on the preservation of flora and fauna.

In Article 16, it stipulates that flora reproduction and fauna breeding outside their natural habitats is carried out to increase their populations to stop them from becoming extinct. Breeding activities are carried out by maintaining species purity and genetic diversity.

The government also issued Government Regulation No. 8/1999 on the utilization of plants and wildlife species. Article 1, Paragraph 3 stipulates that breeding is an effort to conserve protected species by maintaining their purity.

'€œEveryone must refer to them, as does PKBSI,'€ said Tony, adding that conservation methods by conservation institutions, such as zoos, must abide by World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) Conservation Strategies and IUCN guidelines regarding wildlife breeding efforts.

The Players

THE ANIMALS

The number of animals being housed at Bandung Zoo is currently a mystery. According to Wikipedia there are 1600 animals, 218 different species living at the zoo. But November 5, 2017 a Bandung Zoo representative told CNN Indonesia that there are 890 animals and 130 species living at the zoo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzZsVpcLB3Y&sns=fb

We know for certain that there are two Sun Bears enclosures at the zoo. One enclosure is home to Kardit, the starving Sun Bear at the heart of international outrage.

THE PEOPLE


Bandung Zoo "is a 14-hectare zoo located in the city of Bandung in West Java, Indonesia known for its mistreatment and abuse of the animals that reside there." Wikipedia Note from the blog author: Bandung Zoo is not the worst zoo in Indonesia.

Perhimpunan Kebun Binatang Selurah Indonesia (PKBSI) is the Indonesia Zoos and Aquarium Association. Tony Samampau is the Secretary General of PKBSI. He is also the owner of Taman Safari Indonesia, Taman Safari Prigen, Taman Safari Bogar, Bali Safari, Bali Marine and Royal Safari Garden Resort and Convention. Taman Safari Indoneisa was recently accused of drugging a lion for photo props. Tony Samampua is also tied to a mess related to the Surabaya Zoo. 

https://www.thedodo.com/the-people-behind-the-worlds-c-453297262.html

Scorpion Wildlife Trade Monitoring Group is a "non-governmental organization established on 12th of May 2015, The foundation became active in July 2015, and was officially registered at the Ministry of Legal and Human Rights on 3rd of August 2015 (Reg #AHU-0010503.AH.01.04.2015). Since then, it has become the leading Indonesian NGO group tackling the rampant illegal wildlife trade currently plaguing our country.

We conduct investigations into the wildlife trade on a weekly, sometimes daily basis. Our work takes us all over Sumatra, Java, and Bali. Our aim is to extend it much wider.

The photos and reports collected by investigators are then sent to our government with a request for them to take action."

http://www.scorpionmonitor.org/

Minister of Environment and Forestry "is the cabinet-level, government ministry in the Republic of Indonesia responsible for managing and conserving that nation's forests. The current Minister of Environment and Forestry is Siti Nurbaya Bakar." Wikipedia

Mayor of Bandung - Ridwan Kamil, in 2015 he told reporters in 2015 that he had no power to shut down a privately run zoo.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ridwan_Kamil 
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-19/bandung-zoo-sun-bear-cruelty/8192596

Wild Welfare "is the first captive wild animal welfare initiative, set up by zoo professionals, that is solely focused on improving welfare standards in captive wild animal facilities. We facilitate positive dialogue between accredited zoo professionals, zoo associations and leading global animal welfare NGOs.  We can lend weight to challenging issues, and create a positive international captive animal welfare movement through an informed expert approach, knowledge-based decisions and establishment of strong partnerships." (entered August 2016)

http://wildwelfare.org/about-wild-welfare/


P. Holmes is an animal advocate and petition author based in the United States. (entered July 2016)

Cee4Life "is a grassroots Not-for-Profit Organisation with a diverse portfolio covering important missions to do with wildlife protection, conservation, environment and education primarily in Australia, the Asian region, and globally elsewhere when possible." (entered January 2017)

https://www.cee4life.org/who-we-are/

Sybelle Foxcroft is one of the founders of CEE4Life and "an expert in wildlife protection, environmental management and animal care, ethics and welfare" (entered January 2017)

One Animal World is a non-profit organization (formerly a for-profit company) whose mission is to is to inspire compassion and elevate the standards for animals around the world through support, intervention, political platforms and strategically produced, educational videos. (entered February 2017)

www.oneanimalworld.com

Rebecca Rodriguez, a long-time animal advocate and critically acclaimed independent filmmaker, is the lead advocate/consultant at One Animal World. She founded the humane society on the island of Guam in late 1980's and went on to run the animal care department at the largest humane society in the Pacific Northwest. She has over twenty-five years of experience in animal rescue and welfare and is the President of One Animal World. She is also the author of this blog. (entered February 2017)