Please Do Not Visit D-Paradise in Alor Gajah
The letter below was sent to the STAR newspaper but unpublished as yet.
I refer to the article entitled Robber Crabs On Display At D-Paradise (the STAR, February 12, 2007).
Robber Crabs are on the CITES (Convention On International Trade In Endangered Species) endangered species list as are other animals at D-Paradise. D-Paradise Tropical Fruit World and Aboriginal Native Village in Lubok China, Alor Gajah also has a website boasting of keeping pangolins - another endangered animal.
Already pangolins are being smuggled in the truck loads across the border to Thailand to be sold on the black market. Even when smugglers are caught the Malaysian courts only mete out token fines which does nothing to stop them because these smugglers earn 25 times more than these meagre fines.
To add insult to injury Malaysians now have to stomach the shameless display of our wildlife at many local resorts that exploit them to the fullest.
Has anyone even questioned if it is illegal to display these endangered animals by commercial establishments that have no qualifications in the proper care and treatment of these animals?
How is it possible for these resorts to get a license from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan)? Perhilitan has already been involved in more than one embarrasing situation where it has had to return the animal to its natural habitat when foreign non-governmental vehementally opposed this shameful abuse. And yet this blatant abuse still goes on in Malaysia right under the nose of Perhilitan.
We appeal to the public to refrain from going to such places. If you would like to see wildlife, go and observe them in their natural habitat.
The Remembering Sheena Campaign (RSC) received a complaint about D-Paradise in May last year about how it favours trapping animals in "touch" enclosures where the public can get up, close and personal with these poor creatures.
The complainant observed a child swinging a hare by the ears in the rabbit pen. When she pointed this out to the staff at D-Paradise, the staff only laughed. RSC's follow up on this matter can be read at http://remembersheena.blogspot.com/search?q=CITES
It is obvious that places like this exist only to exploit animals to the fullest. Their bottom line is profit and they don't care for the environment nor the physical and emotional well being of the animals at their resort.
If we the public refuse to give our support to places like this then they cannot flourish. If these resorts have so much money, why don't they buy vast pieces of land and turn it into sancturaries for animals the way the much loved environmentalist, Steve Irwin, has urged people to do?
They can hire trained environmentalists to take people into these sanctuaries and observe the animals roam free in their natural settings instead of behind cages at these resorts.
Worse some resorts force endangered orang utans to ride bicycles and kick box simply to entertain visitors.
I don't know what kind of sadistic pleasure visitors gain from watching all of this as they can plainly see that the animal is distressed and forced to do such unnatural things out of fear of being punished.
If the authorities won't do anything, YOU the public have the right to stop this. Don't go to these places.
I refer to the article entitled Robber Crabs On Display At D-Paradise (the STAR, February 12, 2007).
Robber Crabs are on the CITES (Convention On International Trade In Endangered Species) endangered species list as are other animals at D-Paradise. D-Paradise Tropical Fruit World and Aboriginal Native Village in Lubok China, Alor Gajah also has a website boasting of keeping pangolins - another endangered animal.
Already pangolins are being smuggled in the truck loads across the border to Thailand to be sold on the black market. Even when smugglers are caught the Malaysian courts only mete out token fines which does nothing to stop them because these smugglers earn 25 times more than these meagre fines.
To add insult to injury Malaysians now have to stomach the shameless display of our wildlife at many local resorts that exploit them to the fullest.
Has anyone even questioned if it is illegal to display these endangered animals by commercial establishments that have no qualifications in the proper care and treatment of these animals?
How is it possible for these resorts to get a license from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan)? Perhilitan has already been involved in more than one embarrasing situation where it has had to return the animal to its natural habitat when foreign non-governmental vehementally opposed this shameful abuse. And yet this blatant abuse still goes on in Malaysia right under the nose of Perhilitan.
We appeal to the public to refrain from going to such places. If you would like to see wildlife, go and observe them in their natural habitat.
The Remembering Sheena Campaign (RSC) received a complaint about D-Paradise in May last year about how it favours trapping animals in "touch" enclosures where the public can get up, close and personal with these poor creatures.
The complainant observed a child swinging a hare by the ears in the rabbit pen. When she pointed this out to the staff at D-Paradise, the staff only laughed. RSC's follow up on this matter can be read at http://remembersheena.blogspot.com/search?q=CITES
It is obvious that places like this exist only to exploit animals to the fullest. Their bottom line is profit and they don't care for the environment nor the physical and emotional well being of the animals at their resort.
If we the public refuse to give our support to places like this then they cannot flourish. If these resorts have so much money, why don't they buy vast pieces of land and turn it into sancturaries for animals the way the much loved environmentalist, Steve Irwin, has urged people to do?
They can hire trained environmentalists to take people into these sanctuaries and observe the animals roam free in their natural settings instead of behind cages at these resorts.
Worse some resorts force endangered orang utans to ride bicycles and kick box simply to entertain visitors.
I don't know what kind of sadistic pleasure visitors gain from watching all of this as they can plainly see that the animal is distressed and forced to do such unnatural things out of fear of being punished.
If the authorities won't do anything, YOU the public have the right to stop this. Don't go to these places.
posted by Shoba @ 5:09 PM
4 Comments:
At 1:24 AM,
PrettyLittlePaws said…
I am so sick of people making and milking money out of animals! What is wrong with this people?
At 8:44 AM,
Shoba said…
Yes. I only wish the newspapers will stop writing positive stories about these places.
For one thing, our letters to the Press to complain certainly help, regardless of whether they publish our letter. At least the editors know that the public are not supportive of these places.
Please help by NOT going to these places. And if you can do write a similar letter (even one paragraph will do if you don't have the time) to the Press. More voices hv a stronger impact. Thanks, Hope!
At 3:04 PM,
mark tan said…
shoba,
be great if you could do an article on animal abuse that takes place in all these tourist areas as well as explaining perhilitans role or lack of it along with the gov's lack of intrest in cases of animal abuse. I can foward it to friends overseas who will pass info along. A lot of forigners are not aware of thge abuse that goes on here.
At 4:09 PM,
Shoba said…
So far the newspapers are not printing any of my letters complaining about abuse at resorts.
So I'm sure any article clearly identifying the resort would receive the same treatment.
However, you may take any of the articles and letters posted here Mark by myself and Nick Josh Karean. We have links posted to newspaper articles as well. Feel free to pass that around too.
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