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| Sunday, 7 December 2003 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Zoo comes out of its cage by Vimukthi Fernando The month of December, is usually a busy period for them. The silent entertainers who make themselves available 365 days of the year providing entertainment to humankind. Close to 5,000 visit them during a week day while weekends double the numbers.
The year 2003 had brought many other visitors as well. Actually, some of their carers from all over the South Asian Region. Sri Lanka's National Zoological Gardens hosts the 4th Annual Technical Training Conference and Workshop of the South Asian Zoo Association for Regional Corporation (SAZARC). Twenty seven officials from the region including zoo directors will participate in the conference along with about 15 participants from the Dehiwela Zoo. The conference and workshop will focus on animal nutrition and zoo landscape and architecture. It is after three decades that the Zoo offered to host an international conference of its nature, says Brigadier H. A. N. T. Perera, Zoo Director and current President of SAZARC. Technical training and support from the region had helped the zoo to improve itself and come much closer to international standards. And now, more space to live, cleaner environments, better nutritional and health care a 'home away from home' is what they offer, the animals. The zoo is in the process of giving itself a more animal friendly and visitor friendly facelift.
The Dehiwela Zoo is "70 years old and spaced in 23 acres. The major challenge we face is to meet the present world zoo concept. Open zoos with more space for animals," says the Zoo Director. At present the zoo has a mixed exhibition with enclosures/cages constructed according to the old concept and with more open and spacious new constructions. To provide more space for the animals a 200 acre, extension of the zoo is planned in Pinnawela. Land acquisition is in progress. The project costs about Rs. 1,500 million and the zoo invites investors for partnership from the private sector. "The private party would be able to recover investment on a profit sharing basis. However, there are no solid partners recognised yet," says the Director. Freedom of movement, has been the key concept in the recent improvements to the zoo. Visitors as well as animals are provided with this freedom. Two such changes for visitors are spacious resting areas with viewing facilities and ramps for the differently abled and parents with prams. For animals this comes in the form of spacious enclosures constructed with timber, a true transformation from that of the diminutive iron cages they used to live in. A free living elephant arena for six elephants in a one acre plot, is the next improvement lined up. The project costing Rs. 10 million would be carried out with the financial support of Rs. six million from Janashakthi Insurance. Additional facilities for visitors include tea kiosks, water, sanitary facilities and visitor safety insurance. Four snack bars maintained by Coca-Cola were opened last week. For better management and upkeep of the zoo, the thinking and the attitude of the zoo staff is very important, says the Zoo Director. High standards could be maintained by a dedicated staff who have a love for animals they work with, not a staff with an attitude of a nine to five job. This is not a job, this is a service, says the Director. Though the zoo staff is committed to their work, there are constraints and obstacles to improving its standards as well, says the Director. The main obstacle comes from the visitors themselves. Vandalism, littering, plucking of flowers, removing plants, harassing and teasing of animals, unruly behaviour and the assault of zoo staff who try to prevent them from these acts is the major concern of the zoo. "I am ashamed to walk around the zoo on a crowded day and to observer the state they leave it in," he says. Other obstacles include restrictions in purchasing animals. Exchange or purchase of animals from one zoo to another is based purely on trust. Therefore, maintaining standards is very important. And you cannot put a price tag on animals. Sometimes, the value cannot be measured in money especially in the case of rare animals, he says. Recently the Dehiwela Zoo lost its deal of an exchange of Black Rhinos, a rare species from the South African Zoo due to bureaucratic bungling. The zoo did not get the authorization for exchanging three baby elephants for the black Rhinos. ###### Changing concept of zoo management
Zoo management is not a trivial discipline but a complex field needing a range of expertise, says Sally Walker, Chairperson and Patron of SAZARC and Founder of the Zoo Outreach Organisation, based in India. The key resource person of the SAZARC Conference, Sunday Observer asked her about the pertinent issues for the animals in captivity. The concept of zoos has changed from mere exhibition of exotic animals. They now carry out a conservational task along with that of entertainment. Sometimes, they have to carry on the duty of keeping the remnants of the near extinct animals alive as well. And the Zoos should provide a conducive atmosphere, she explains. SAZARC provides necessary training and exposure to zoo directors and staff in different countries in adapting their zoos to these changes. The key issues faced by zoos in the South Asian region include problems created by visitors and constant changes in the upper level staff, says Walker. "Once they pay two or three rupees, the visitors think they have the right to make life difficult for the animals. This is harmful for animals, distracts the zoo staff and decreases the efficiency of the zoo in general," she says. It is common in the region to see changes in the zoo directors and upper level staff, according to the change in the ruling party of a country. However, this is detrimental to zoo management she says. "A new appointee needs time to understand the subject and to employ his or her expertise. Managing wild animals and catering to their needs as well as the needs of the public is a mammoth task. Another concern is the difference between the upper level and lower level staff. Ideally there should be no lower level. The zoo keeper should be as educated as other levels for they take care of animals from the wild, living in small enclosures. If the keeper is uneducated he may not have the understanding or the ability to do his job properly. This creates problems for the middle level staff and in turn burden the upper level. In some countries people with PhDs work as zoo keepers. In zoo management detailed concentration is needed. Insight, sensitivity and creativity is the key," she says. The challenge zoos face in keeping animals in captivity include creating near-natural habitats, creating satisfactory diets with enough nutrition for animal upkeep and protecting animals from contaminated food and airborne diseases, germs and bacteria from other animals and visitors. Conservation of animals is another area that zoos have to be concerned about, says Walker. Animal dealers should be avoided as well as acquiring from the wild. Animal acquisition ideally is to be from other zoos. |
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