An upcoming one-day inspection of Leofoo Village Theme Park is insufficient, animal rights groups said yesterday, calling for the park to be held to higher standards to prevent a recurrence of incidents in which animals have died.
The park has a long record of animal abuse, animal rights advocates and New Power Party (NPP) Legislator Chen Jiau-hua (陳椒華) told reporters at a news conference, citing an incident 10 years ago in which eight giraffes died.
A baboon escaped from the park in March and was ultimately killed during attempts to recapture it.
Photo: Huang Mei-chu, Taipei Times
Animal Skies researcher Lin Ting-yi (林婷憶) said that the park does not provide many of its animals with the daily necessities.
She cited how Formosan black bears kept at the park have developed the habit of pacing in circles to ease their anxiety, while Hamadryas baboons do not have the facilities to satisfy their climbing needs, Lin said.
The Bengal tigers and lions have been forced to share an enclosure, and the rotating schedule means that the animals are kept in small, confined spaces for extended periods, leading to at least one incident of tigers fighting each other, she said.
The groups also found that goats at the park sometimes have to stand on concrete with a surface temperature of 45.7°C, while waterfowl such as pelicans and flamingos do not have a pond in which to rest.
Taiwan Animal Protection Monitor Network secretary-general Ho Tsung-hsun (何宗勳) said that the park is home to 70 species of animals, and yet the Hsinchu County Government’s biennial inspection scheduled for Tuesday next week would only last one day.
The average visitor sees fewer than 20 species in a day, Ho said, questioning whether the inspection would be sufficient to uphold the rights of animals.
He also said the park had failed to comply with ameliorative efforts that the county government ordered to be carried out since the baboon incident.
The county government should hold the park to account, he said, adding that in the worst-case scenario the park’s license to operate as a zoo should be revoked.
Taiwan Animal Equality Association chief executive Lin Yi-shan (林憶珊) said the park’s self-assessment form showed that it rated itself 46 out of 48, yet the park has not addressed the issues that animal protection groups have observed.
In response, the park said that all its exhibits comply with existing laws and it would work with the authorities and experts to ensure it maintains the required standards.
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