Jiaozuo Forest Zoo said the young elephants’ chain training was “not abused”, expert: against the nature of animals
Recently, in the forest zoo in Jiaozuo, a five-year-old baby elephant was chained to the forest. His eyes were dull, his behavior was rigid, and he was forced to undergo various trainings.
Netizens said, "The 5-year-old baby elephant is too pitiful!"
On September 14, a netizen posted on Douban that the 5-year-old baby elephant Molly was chained to the Jiaozuo Zoo by an iron chain less than 20 cm in length, with dull eyes and rigid behavior.
The photo attached to the netizen’s post shows that Molly can play the harmonica, ask for a camel, and eat watermelon peels. The netizen said, “Compared with the one-year-old her now, she has no shining eyes, replaced by sluggishness and despair.”
In response to this incident, a reporter from Henan Minsheng Channel came to the Jiaozuo Forest Zoo on September 14 regarding the baby elephant Molly's situation. No trace of the 5-year-old baby elephant Molly was found in the park.
The reporter asked where the baby elephants had gone. Jia Linlin, chief of the operation and management section of the Jiaozuo Forest Zoo, Henan Province, said, “I don’t know now, we are only responsible for providing the venue.” A zoo keeper previously said that the forest zoo originally had eight elephants. , Including three baby elephants, five elephants, and now there is only one elephant left.
When the reporter asked the breeder, he changed his mouth and said he did not know.
In addition, in an interview with Henan Minsheng Channel, a breeder at the Forest Zoo in Jiaozuo said, “Now I can’t talk about (elephant) performances. If you want to talk about behavioral demonstrations, if you talk about performances, people will shoot you on the Internet. Animal Protection Association I quit again, saying that elephants are for protection, not for suffering."
In response to this, on September 16, The Paper (www.thepaper.cn) noticed that the WeChat public account "Jiaozuo Forest Zoo" issued a report on the abuse of elephants and other issues through the Internet.
According to the report, after investigation, there is indeed an operation of tying iron chains on the feet of elephants during behavior display and behavior training, but this is not animal cruelty, but is based on industry operating standards. This is a common operation in zoos across the country.
In addition, the report pointed out that after investigation, the baby elephant was in good health and had not been abused.
In the notification, Jiaozuo Forest Zoo explained that because of the large tonnage and wild nature of elephants, it is difficult to control them, especially during heat, and it is necessary to implement safety measures such as tying ankle chains.
The "Excerpts from the Guidelines for the Feeding and Management of Elephants" issued by the China Zoo Association clarified the necessity of using ropes to restrict and guide the elephants. At the same time, the types, materials, and fixed positions of the anklets were also clarified.
Jiaozuo Forest Zoo stated that the elephant will only take necessary safety protection measures to ensure the safety of breeding staff and tourists when performing behavior demonstrations and behavior training. Most of the time, it will be in the free movement area.
Even so, in order to further strengthen the protection of elephants, the park will strictly supervise the operation partners to scientifically control the display time of behaviors and improve animal welfare.
Regarding the online news that a baby elephant was abused, the Jiaozuo Forest Zoo stated in a report that after investigation, there was indeed a baby elephant on display at the Municipal Forest Zoo.
The Jiaozuo Forest Zoo has learned with the cooperative operator that at present, this little elephant is in good health, in good condition, and has not been abused.
In addition, with regard to the death of elephants transmitted online, Jiaozuo Forest Zoo pointed out in the notification that Jiaozuo Forest Zoo and Qinyang Swan Lake Ecological Park cooperated in operation. Since the introduction of elephants in October 2018, there has been no occurrence in the park. The death of the elephant.
The Paper noted that some netizens questioned the content of the report.
Weibo netizen @娃哈哈遇见摩卡 commented that the baby elephant is only five years old and he is already a minor. He already knows how to play the flute.
As a national first-level protected wildlife, Asian elephants should have a safe future.
Is tying an iron chain to an elephant's feet abusing the elephant?
On September 16, Sun Quanhui, a scientist from the World Animal Protection Association, told The Paper that the Jiaozuo Forest Zoo statement mentioned that “tying an iron chain on one's feet is not a cruelty to animals, but is based on industry practices. This is a common operation in zoos across the country.” This statement is not accurate. "Is the standard mentioned in this statement a national standard, an industry standard, or an international standard?"
Zheng Yu, Wildlife Project Manager of the World Animal Protection Association, told The Paper that wild animal performances seem relaxed and happy, but these performances and intimate interaction with tourists violate the nature of animals. Behind the animal performances are the pain and harm of animals. .
Zheng Yu pointed out that wild elephants will never allow humans to ride on their backs, not to mention other unnatural behaviors such as performances. All elephants caught in the wild and their artificially bred elephant offspring will be in their infancy. Go through the cruel training process to enable them to engage in riding and performance activities.
Zheng Yu called for a cessation of wild animal performances and let the zoo return to public welfare, instead of using wild animals as entertainment commodities for profit, caring for wild animals so that they can better live in nature.
The Paper, News Reporter Yu Yan