Manila gov’t to acquire more animals for the city zoo

MANILA, Philippines–The Manila Zoo’s here to stay, according to Mayor Alfredo Lim.

In a statement issued in line with the Manila Zoo’s 52nd anniversary on Monday, Lim said he would not close the zoo despite an online petition from animal rights groups and added he would even acquire more animals for the zoo.

“While I am mayor of Manila, I will not have the Manila zoo closed,” Lim said in a statement.

“I have already written to eight South East Asian ambassadors asking them to donate to us if they have some animals in their countries,” he added, in Filipino.

A petition recently launched by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and local animal protection groups criticized Manila zoo as being in “miserable conditions” where “animals…are housed in cramped, barren cages that can’t compare to their natural habitats.”

It asked readers to join the call “in asking Mayor [Alfredo] Lim to halt plans to acquire more animals for the Manila Zoo. Instead, ask him to improve the lives of the animals already there or, better yet, to close the zoo altogether.”

Lim, and Parks and Recreation chief and zoo director Deogracias “Deng” Manimbo, countered that the animals at the zoo were all bred in captivity and could not survive in the wild if they were set free.

In an earlier interview, Manimbo also denied that animals were maltreated in the zoo, pointing out that the bulk of their P50-million annual budget was allocated for their care; that the zoo has hired the best veterinarians in the country; that enclosures were kept clean; and that animals in the zoo even outlive their life expectancies.

PETA had used outdated photos to show the alleged dismal conditions of the zoo, Manimbo said. He invited people to come see the zoo for themselves and check if PETA’s allegations were warranted.

On Monday, the zoo unveiled a rehabilitated fish pond and a new Multi-Purpose Center. Lim gave plaques of appreciation to officials and representatives of donors Associated Ship Management Services Inc. (ASMSI), Canon Marketing Phils. Inc., Union Galva Steel Corp, among others.

The Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden or Manila Zoo is the first zoo in Asia and the oldest and largest one in the Philippines, established to provide an accessible source of entertainment and education for indigent children in the city, Lim said.