New elephant for Manila Zoo, says official

It’s confirmed: Manila Zoo will be getting a new elephant.

According to Manila Public Recreations Bureau chief and zoo administrator Deogracias Manimbo, the Sri Lankan ambassador recently informed zoo officials about the “positive reception” to the city’s request for a new elephant.

In July, Mayor Alfredo Lim announced that he had written to eight Southeast Asian ambassadors to ask them if they could donate animals to the city zoo.

Last month, there were reports that the Sri Lankan government had said that it would be giving away a baby elephant to celebrate its diplomatic relations with the Philippines.

“The baby elephant will be coming from an orphanage,” Manimbo said as he added that the zoo’s lone elephant, Mali, also came from an elephant orphanage in Sri Lanka.

The details, however, have yet to be finalized, he told the Inquirer.

An elephant in captivity has a life span of around 35 years. Mali is already 34, Manimbo said.

The news, however, is not likely to please members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) who recently circulated an online petition asking the public to urge Lim to shut down the zoo.

PETA has urged the city government to free the animals from the zoo which, according to the group, is in poor condition.

This was denied by Manimbo who said that in the aftermath of the petition, the Bureau of Animal Industry inspected the zoo and pronounced its enclosures as well maintained and the animals well treated.