Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

https://www.change.org/p/ministry-of-agriculture-republic-of-indonesia-suswono-minister-of-agriculture-indonesia-indonesian-government-free-all-animals-from-ragunan-and-surabaya-zoo-into-sanctuaries

Indonesian Government: Free all Animals from Ragunan and Surabaya Zoo into Sanctuaries

Captive elephants in Indonesia’s Surabaya Zoo and Ragunan Zoo are being held in extremely cruel conditions.

“I have never seen … this before,” said a staff member of an animal advocacy organization.

At both zoos, says the staff member, the elephants were restrained in a severe and agonizing manner. The animals are not only chained to the enclosures by their back legs, but their front legs are tied together. “I have visited zoos across the world, many of which unfortunately chain their elephants. But I have never seen elephants with leg ties as well as chains,”said the staffer

With the additional leg ties, the elephants are unable to even move backwards and forwards freely, restricting them to “hobbling” or “hopping.”

The male elephants who were tied in this manner at the Surabaya Zoo were in obvious distress: “He was rocking backwards and forwards for some time in a stereotypical display often seen in captive elephants,” says the staff member.

“The real sad thing for him was when he decided to use the bar as a scratching post, he needed to haul himself and the chains, centimeter by centimeter, into a position where he could rub against the metal bar. This should be something that is freely available to him and not something that he is forced to work for by having to ‘hobble’ within the small areas that his chains allow him within.”

At the Ragunan Zoo, both adults and a very young elephant were seen with their front legs tied together: “The calf was attempting to lie down on a number of occasions, but the leg ties prevented it from doing so. It also had to ‘hop’ with both front legs together every time it wanted to turn around.” (The calf is likely this young male.)

Indonesia has long been criticized for its animal welfare standards, especially the Surabaya Zoo, in East Java, referred to as the “Zoo of Death” for the horrific conditions the animals live in and the nauseating photos that reportedly emerge from it, including a lion found hanging last year in his cell, and an emaciated camel eating in his enclosure.

Femke den Haas is the founder and coordinator for wildlife rescue at the Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN). Den Haas lives in Indonesia and first visited the Ragunan Zoo 20 years ago: “I was so shocked to see the suffering of the animals there that I decided I wanted to return to Indonesia the soonest to help improve animal welfare in the country.”

It was the eyes, she says, of one adult male orangutan that she couldn’t forget: “His name was Johnny. Johnny was an adult orangutan inside a tiny dark cage, not able to climb, not even able to obtain any sunlight.”

Twenty years later, Johnny is still inside the same cage.

Since 2002, 23 orangutans have died inside the Ragunan Zoo, den Haas said. (The Ragunan Zoo is a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums.)

Since 2013, JAAN has been denied access to help improve the quality of care for the animals of the zoo, den Haas claims.

Part of the problem, she maintains, is there is no standard of care for animal welfare in zoos in Indonesia. “The Indonesia Zoo and Aquarium Association (IZAA) is a sham. This association is run by the zoo owners who seek profit and little regulations. The conditions of animals throughout Indonesia in zoos are horrific. I just returned from a zoo in Banyuwangi that received animals from Surabaya [Zoo], including orangutans and elephants. The elephants are chained and walked around [by keepers] with the infamous sticks with nails on them to handle the elephants and [use them for] elephant rides.”

Unfortunately, says den Haas, as bad as the Ragunan and Surabaya zoos are, there are some even worse. At these zoos, says den Haas, “animals hardly are seen with even drinking water.”

The staff member of the advocacy group agrees with den Haas’ assessment: “Sadly, animals are kept in even worse conditions in other zoos both within Indonesia and other Asian countries.”

“The sad reality,” the staffer adds, “is that the majority of Asian zoos house as many species and individuals as they possibly can, and the staff have little to no knowledge of how to care for these individuals to meet their complex physical and behavioural needs. Therefore animals languish in squalid concrete cells and the measure of ‘good’ or ‘bad’ is whether they survive or not.”—Source-The Dodo~

Ask the Minister of Agriculture Suswono to shut these places of hell down and transport the animals to sanctuaries !

LETTER TO

Ministry of Agriculture Republic of Indonesia Suswono, MMA

Executive Director – WAZA Gerald Dick, PhD, MAS

Indonesian Government: Free all Animals from Ragunan and Surabaya Zoo into Sanctuaries

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/740/490/385/illinois-man-lights-firework-in-dogs-mouth-while-laughing-about-it/

Illinois man lights firework in dog’s mouth while laughing about it!

target: Will County State’s Attorney James Glascow

Update #1 3 days ago ▾

Press Release
July 31, 2015

Statement regarding investigation/charge in Joliet Pit Bull Case

The Will County State’s Attorney’s Office has filed the strongest felony charge possible under Illinois law based upon the evidence that has been obtained by police and prosecutors up to this point.

Upon conviction, the felony charge in this case carries a potential penalty of up to six years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000.

The investigation into this case is ongoing.

About This Petition

A man from Joliet tricked a pit bull dog into taking a firework in his mouth moments before he had lit it. The dog did not survive the incident.

The incident happened on July 7 when Nicholas Garcia, 24, and his friend were lighting some fireworks in an alley when a dog suddenly appeared; the two decided to have some fun with the animal and intentionally tossed a firework in its direction; the dog chased it and picked it up immediately, moments before it went off its mouth.

The dog’s owner, who had finally caught up with his dog during their usual stroll, witnessed the entire incident. The distraught owner claims that Garcia was amused by the situation, before taking off moments after.

Police have filed charges of ‘destruction of property’ against Garcia, who has turned himself in.

We, the undersigned, strongly feel that the Illinois judicial system should file for much tougher charges, because ‘destruction of property’ does not apply in this case. Dogs are family, sentient beings, but judging by these charges it would seem they are just some objects that got destroyed. This is hardly the case. Garcia needs to spend time behind bars after taking the life of an innocent animal that is only guilty of curiosity.

News Link: http://bit.ly/1IqfwOJ

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