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.
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