Don't Go To The Animal Island Show In Shah Alam
Friends,
Please read this article by Hilary Chew of the STAR Newspaper dated January 21, 2006. Please do not go to this animal show at Tesco, Shah Alam. Every time you pay to go and see shows like this you encourage people to abuse animals this way.
After reading the article, I hope you find it in your hearts to write or telephone these bodies to complain:
Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Deputy Director, Aziz Che Man) Tel: 55193915. Or fill up their complaints form on: http://www.wildlife.gov.my/e_aduan/aduan.htm
Call Tesco's Head Office and ask to speak to the CEO at: 77266298
We would also like to know if the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) is doing anything about this. We need NGOs like MNS to speak up. Surely they can at least alert their members to call and complain.
Educational or freak show?
By HILARY CHIEW
Three listless long-tailed macaques chained to a steel-bar platform. Unidentified water lizards kept in small, dingy cages. All kinds of snakes placed in small glass containers, some with a concrete pool each filled with dirty water. Small cages that housed flying squirrels, sugar gliders and chipmunks were littered with food scraps and faeces.
These are some of the sights that greet visitors to the Animal Island show currently being held at the open car park of a hypermarket in Shah Alam.
The show boasts of having nearly 80 species of local and foreign animals on display. Adults are charged an entrance fee of RM4 while the fee for kids is RM2.
This pig-tailed macaque or better known as beruk in Malay is chained to a steel-bar platform. Despite the organiser’s claim that it is an educational show, the lizard in the cage below is not named.
Marine biologist Louisa Ponnampalam, who came across the show during a visit to the hypermarket recently, got in touch with The Star to express her concern over the deplorable state the animals were kept.
“The leaflets and banners claim that it is an educational show but the identification labels are not even accurate.
“The labels have obviously been cut out from a reptile guidebook. The birds are not even identified.
“It is so wrong. To me, it is a freak show. Why is this kind of show being allowed by the authorities and held in the compound of a respectable hypermarket?” Louisa asked.
She said the show was sending out the wrong message to the public especially children.
She was also appalled by the manner some parents were poking fun at the chained macaques.
When contacted, Selangor Department of Wildlife Protection and National Park (Perhilitan) deputy director Aziz Che Man said the show had been inspected on Jan 17 and the department was in the process of verifying the list of animals approved for the display and those found during the inspection.
It is learnt that Animal Island has obtained the permission from the state department for the show between Jan 12 and 31, in conjunction with the pre-Chinese New Year shopping period to catch the crowd.
To attract shoppers, visitors are encouraged to jot down their identity card number and contact details on the ticket and drop it into a lucky draw box.
The show also offers visitors the opportunity to be photographed with the animals and to feed them.
Please read this article by Hilary Chew of the STAR Newspaper dated January 21, 2006. Please do not go to this animal show at Tesco, Shah Alam. Every time you pay to go and see shows like this you encourage people to abuse animals this way.
After reading the article, I hope you find it in your hearts to write or telephone these bodies to complain:
Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Deputy Director, Aziz Che Man) Tel: 55193915. Or fill up their complaints form on: http://www.wildlife.gov.my/e_aduan/aduan.htm
Call Tesco's Head Office and ask to speak to the CEO at: 77266298
We would also like to know if the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) is doing anything about this. We need NGOs like MNS to speak up. Surely they can at least alert their members to call and complain.
Educational or freak show?
By HILARY CHIEW
Three listless long-tailed macaques chained to a steel-bar platform. Unidentified water lizards kept in small, dingy cages. All kinds of snakes placed in small glass containers, some with a concrete pool each filled with dirty water. Small cages that housed flying squirrels, sugar gliders and chipmunks were littered with food scraps and faeces.
These are some of the sights that greet visitors to the Animal Island show currently being held at the open car park of a hypermarket in Shah Alam.
The show boasts of having nearly 80 species of local and foreign animals on display. Adults are charged an entrance fee of RM4 while the fee for kids is RM2.
This pig-tailed macaque or better known as beruk in Malay is chained to a steel-bar platform. Despite the organiser’s claim that it is an educational show, the lizard in the cage below is not named.
Marine biologist Louisa Ponnampalam, who came across the show during a visit to the hypermarket recently, got in touch with The Star to express her concern over the deplorable state the animals were kept.
“The leaflets and banners claim that it is an educational show but the identification labels are not even accurate.
“The labels have obviously been cut out from a reptile guidebook. The birds are not even identified.
“It is so wrong. To me, it is a freak show. Why is this kind of show being allowed by the authorities and held in the compound of a respectable hypermarket?” Louisa asked.
She said the show was sending out the wrong message to the public especially children.
She was also appalled by the manner some parents were poking fun at the chained macaques.
When contacted, Selangor Department of Wildlife Protection and National Park (Perhilitan) deputy director Aziz Che Man said the show had been inspected on Jan 17 and the department was in the process of verifying the list of animals approved for the display and those found during the inspection.
It is learnt that Animal Island has obtained the permission from the state department for the show between Jan 12 and 31, in conjunction with the pre-Chinese New Year shopping period to catch the crowd.
To attract shoppers, visitors are encouraged to jot down their identity card number and contact details on the ticket and drop it into a lucky draw box.
The show also offers visitors the opportunity to be photographed with the animals and to feed them.
posted by Shoba @ 8:47 AM
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