End animal abuse Today and Now!

Surabaya Zoo, also known as Kebun Binatang Surabaya (KBS), was founded in 1916 and is one of the largest zoos in South East Asia, covering 37 acres and housing over 350 species (others say that it is almost 200 species). The zoo has fallen into disrepute over the last few years with widespread allegations of mistreatment, corruption, and uncontrolled breeding. Many of the animals cared for at KBS live in pitiable conditions, some are highly endangered species. This must stop. The Zoo states there are 2,800 animals living there, other reports put the number at closer to 4,000. The mistreatment of the animals started to attract widespread condemnation in 2010. In that year, the Jakarta Post labelled KBS as the Surabaya "Zoo of Death". In the same year the Forestry Ministry revoked Surabaya Zoo's license after many animal deaths including rare species such as Sumatran tigers, Komodo Dragons, lions and crocodiles. East Java Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) conducted an investigation, which found that negligent keepers were to blame for most of the animal deaths. It is alleged that zookeepers are stealing meat which they sell to the black market. Also that animals are being stolen by the zookeepers and also sold. Tigers are kept locked in small concrete cells because they do not have enough room to exercise. They are allowed out of their damp cells for only 3 days for every 10 they are locked up. A tiger's digestive tract rotted  after being fed meat laced with formaldehyde (a toxic poison).Some animals have chronic long term back and leg complaints because they cannot exercise.  Many have wasting digestive diseases from eating tainted meat.Some animals are being moved and their condition is improving, however even during their movement they are still being abused by KBS staff.  When the zoo relocated several hippopotami, the animals were physically beaten and injured during the process.

   Michael was found strangled in his cage after his head became stuck between steel cables, the Jakarta Globe reported today.

The tragedy comes just 24 hours after it was learned that a wildebeest died in its enclosure from a stomach problem, although the zoo said that the wet weather was partly to blame.

The death of Michael the lion is certain to cause further demands from animal lovers around the world for urgent action to be carried out at the zoo. Among those which have died there previously is a giraffe that was found to have 20 kilograms of plastic in its stomach and a Sumatran tiger found to have a rotten digestive tract after being regularly fed meat laced with formaldehyde.

   Another video shows a sun bear defecating and eating his own faces, as much a sign of boredom as of hunger, according to Gabriella Fredriksson, a sun bear expert who runs the Sun Bear Center, in Borneo. "There seems to be a lot amiss when [with] the sun bears' behavior," she said in an email.At Surabaya Zoo, a dead giraffe was found with 40 pounds of plastic in his stomach, a lion got tangled in a cable and strangled himself to death, and a white tiger died after a tongue injury left him unable to eat. (Wait, u know the part where it was talking about the giraffe with 40lb of plastic in its stomach, well, if u go back to earlier in this page it will say the giraffe had 20kg of plastic in its stomach, 40lb=18kg. Now, they aren't from the same website but that is super confusing).Elephants wear heavy chains around their feet preventing them from walking to their watering hole or to the single patch of grass in their enclosure. Latest statistics, covering the months between July and September last year, reveal that 43 animals died at the zoo during this period. If you like animals as much as I do, I highly suggest signing this petition and also signing other petitions to end animal abuse.