The Wanpi World Safari Zoo in Tainan’s Syuejia District (學甲) is to end its animal performances today due to mounting pressure from animal protection groups and is seeking to transform itself into a certified facility promoting environmental awareness.
Wanpi World vice president Lee Ying-chun (李英俊) said that, in response to the growing trend of environmental protection, the zoo filed an application with the Tainan Environmental Protection Bureau in 2012, hoping to be certified as a venue for civil servants to receive their annual environmental education.
Under the Environmental Education Act (環境教育法), civil servants are required to complete four hours of environmental education every year.
However, the application was rejected because of the animal shows, Lee said.
Animals used by the zoo for performances have included monkeys, elephants, piglets and macaws.
In the future, the zoo aims to educate people about the natural habitat and behavior of its animals, and introduce infrastructure based on water conservation and energy-saving concepts, he said.
“We hope to improve the environment that our animals live in by achieving an 80 percent similarity between their living conditions and their natural habitat, which will also help to educate young people about how people can live in harmony with nature,” he said.
He said that more people have visited the zoo after learning about the termination of the performances, ostensibly to reminisce over fond memories made there.
He said the zoo would apply for certification again tomorrow.
The attraction opened in 1994 and has enjoyed widespread popularity.
The Environmental and Animal Society of Taiwan (EAST) lauded the zoo’s decision, calling it a “belated liberation of wildlife.”
EAST director Chen Yu-min (陳玉敏) said her organization has protested against the mistreatment of animals at the zoo for more than 10 years.
“We told the president of the zoo in August last year that if he does not respond to the global trend of animal protection, he would be forced to close down his business someday,” she said.
Chen said that the zoo originally agreed to end its animal shows by the end of the Lunar New Year holiday last month, but delayed the plan until today.
“Nevertheless, it is a major move forward,” she said.
Despite the end to animal performances, she said that animals at the zoo live in appalling conditions. For example, nocturnal animals are housed in habitats that are exposed to daylight and arboreal animals do not have trees to live in, she said, adding that many of the animals have exhibited symptoms of depression.
EAST will continue to monitor animal welfare at the zoo, she said.
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) and Chunghwa Telecom yesterday confirmed that an international undersea cable near Keelung Harbor had been cut by a Chinese ship, the Shunxin-39, a freighter registered in Cameroon. Chunghwa Telecom said the cable had its own backup equipment, and the incident would not affect telecommunications within Taiwan. The CGA said it dispatched a ship under its first fleet after receiving word of the incident and located the Shunxin-39 7 nautical miles (13km) north of Yehliu (野柳) at about 4:40pm on Friday. The CGA demanded that the Shunxin-39 return to seas closer to Keelung Harbor for investigation over the
An apartment building in New Taipei City’s Sanchong District (三重) collapsed last night after a nearby construction project earlier in the day allegedly caused it to tilt. Shortly after work began at 9am on an ongoing excavation of a construction site on Liuzhang Street (六張街), two neighboring apartment buildings tilted and cracked, leading to exterior tiles peeling off, city officials said. The fire department then dispatched personnel to help evacuate 22 residents from nine households. After the incident, the city government first filled the building at No. 190, which appeared to be more badly affected, with water to stabilize the
EARTHQUAKE: Taipei and New Taipei City accused a construction company of ignoring the Circular MRT’s original design, causing sections to shift by up to 92cm The Taipei and New Taipei City governments yesterday said they would seek NT$1.93 billion (US$58.6 million) in compensation from the company responsible for building the Circular MRT Line, following damage sustained during an earthquake in April last year that had shuttered a section for months. BES Engineering Corp, a listed company under Core Pacific Group, was accused of ignoring the original design when constructing the MRT line, resulting in negative shear strength resistance and causing sections of the rail line between Jhonghe (中和) and Banciao (板橋) districts to shift by up to 92cm during the April 3 earthquake. The pot bearings on
DEEPER REVIEW: After receiving 19 hospital reports of suspected food poisoning, the Taipei Department of Health applied for an epidemiological investigation A buffet restaurant in Taipei’s Xinyi District (信義) is to be fined NT$3 million (US$91,233) after it remained opened despite an order to suspend operations following reports that 32 people had been treated for suspected food poisoning, the Taipei Department of Health said yesterday. The health department said it on Tuesday received reports from hospitals of people who had suspected food poisoning symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, stomach pain and diarrhea, after they ate at an INPARADISE (饗饗) branch in Breeze Xinyi on Sunday and Monday. As more than six people who ate at the restaurant sought medical treatment, the department ordered the
RSS