NEWS
ACRES IN THE NEWS
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Channel NewsAsia
7 September 2006
No more animals from the Arctic: S'pore Zoo
By Sheralyn Tay
SINGAPORE: The Singapore Zoo will no longer import animals from the Arctic, following concerns raised by an animal welfare group about the zoo's resident polar bears, Sheba and her son Inuku.
In a media statement on Wednesday, the Animal Research and Education Society (Acres) said it has raised "serious welfare concerns" over the two bears after a four-month undercover operation. The findings were presented to the zoo in June.
In the investigation, Acres found that the bears exhibited severe signs of heat stress, were highly inactive and displayed "abnormal stereotypic" manners in their swimming or pacing during their active periods.
The last two behaviours are psychological indicators that the bears are not coping well with their environment, it said. "There is no doubt that polar bears are poor candidates for captivity. They are extremely wide-ranging, highly intelligent, cold weather carnivores, so they are extremely problematic when housed in captivity," said Acres.
In response to queries, the Singapore Zoo confirmed that it will not bring in anymore Arctic animals. This is because it aims to be a "rainforest zoo", focusing on tropical rainforest animals. It also reiterated that the bears are housed in good conditions, citing the birth of Inuka - the first polar bear born in the tropics - as evidence.
However, as part of an "animal exchange programme", the 16-year-old Inuka will soon be heading for cooler climates.
Then, the zoo's executive director Fanny Lai said that this animal exchange was part of efforts to "contribute to the worldwide captive gene pool and help propagate the species".
Reuters
7 September 2006
No more polar bears for tropical Singapore Zoo
Facility is looking for a new home for male bear after rights group protests
SINGAPORE - The Singapore Zoo is looking for a new home for its male polar bear and will no longer bring animals from the North or South Poles to tropical Singapore, an official said.
Zoo director Fanny Lai told Reuters on Thursday that Inuka, a 16-year-old polar bear born in Singapore Zoo, will be moved to a zoo in a temperate climate and that Singapore has told the Rostock Zoo in Germany — which keeps track of all captive polar bears in the world — that Inuka is available for transfer.
She denied the planned move was in response to a local animal rights group's campaign “What's a Polar Bear Doing in The Tropics?”, adding that the Singapore zoo had decided to focus on being a rainforest zoo.
“You can't keep an Arctic animal in an open-air enclosure in the tropics,” Animal Concerns Research and Education Society president Louis Ng told Reuters. The zoo said the bears have an air-conditioned den and misting fans.
Inuka, the first polar bear born in the tropics, will only be moved after the death of his 29-year-old mother Sheba, who will not be moved because she is too old. Polar bears in captivity have an average life span of 25 years.
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