Dr Reza Singam, who worked at Zoo Negara in the early 2000s, said while zoos were important for education, entertainment and conservation, the country did not need another.
“We don’t need to dilute our resources, just concentrate on improving the existing zoos by focusing on local species,” he told FMT.
The veterinarian also said enforcement of regulations on the upkeep of zoos and the welfare of animals was still wanting.
For example, he said, many surplus animals were kept in confined spaces at the back of the zoos with little opportunity to be rotated out for display.
Reza was commenting on a letter by Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) president Mohideen Abdul Kader voicing concern over the new zoo project in Johor.
Mohideen said Malaysia needed to stop building more zoos and focus instead on improving sub-standard zoos to ensure they met standards in housing, husbandry, welfare and health for all the animals.
According to a state government official, the Johor government would also retain the existing zoo along Jalan Gertak Merah in Johor Bahru, which has been in operation since 1928. He said it was being upgraded.
Environmentalist Andrew Sebastian said CAP’s concerns were valid, adding that zoos should only be the last bastion to showcase wildlife as Malaysia already had plenty of forest reserves, protected areas as well as eco-tourism places.
He told FMT that the two main zoos – Zoo Negara and Taiping Zoo – were sufficient to showcase wildlife.
The Ecotourism and Conservation Society of Malaysia (Ecomy) CEO said resources should instead be channelled towards effective conservation initiatives like capture and release programmes.
Former Taiping Zoo veterinary director Dr Kevin Lazarus said the existing zoos were already meeting minimum standards set in the Wildlife Conservation Act in 2010.
Lazarus, who is the chairman of the Malaysian Association of Zoological Parks and Aquaria (MAZPA), said these standards covered matters such as minimum sizes for wildlife exhibits, holding cages as well as the animals’ diet, nutrition and enrichment.
For instance, tigers needed to be kept in enclosures of at least 500 sq m and their holding cages must be at least 5m by 4m. These rules were enforced by the wildlife department in cooperation with MAZPA.
He said opening a zoo must come with the responsibility for proper care of the wildlife, and not just “for the sake of making money”.