Activities Report 1999 Sept Newsletter
It is Time to Review the Old Wildlife Act
The Malaysian Nature Society welcomes the
move of the Wildlife and National Parks Depart-ment (DWNP) to introduce
new laws to tighten the rules of keeping wild animals. All licensed animals
should be registered with information on their age, size, place caught
or obtained and other pertinent description. The introduction of a tag
or embedded microchip containing all the records and serial number of the
animals will provide easy identification during regular checks by the DWNP.
Examples of the usage of microchips can be found in Grade A zoos around
the world and in Zoo Melaka. This is to prevent the replacement of wild
animals without the knowledge of DWNP.
Enforcement needs to be tightened and emphasis
placed on a conservation role in ensuring the conservation of the bio-diversity
of animals and their habitats. More specialist manpower and money needs
to be channelled towards DWNP to enhance its role in conservation.
The necessity and purpose of setting
up of zoos, aviaries, wild animal farms and safari parks need to be re-examined.
For transparency and public participation, non-governmental organisations
and academicians can be called in to form a committee in setting up these
establishments. Pet shops and private collections are another area that
needs serious focus as their numbers are increasing rapidly.
For zoos and animal parks, MNS recommends
more freedom and natural habitats of the open concept types without fencing
and cages for the well being of the animals. This applies to keeping large
animals with big territorial areas and space should not be compromised.
For smaller animals, suitable cages or glass aquaria with natural habitat
should be maintained. All visitors to these new zoos should not be confined
to reading from plaques. They should be guided around with introduction
to the wildlife, role of the zoos, and habitat conservation.
These establishments should not abuse
their 'conservation' role and make profit as the main and final objective.
There should be a balance depending on the capacity and ability of the
establishment to maintain the zoos and conduct research and conservation
work with funding through their fund raising and financial management.
More wilderness areas are recommended
to be set aside for in-situ conservation, that is conservation in the wild.
Buffer zones and animal corridors should link up these areas for migration
purposes and space. Space is what is needed from the setting up of these
wilderness areas, as the animals will be reintroduced back from the zoos.
Furthermore, a fresh wild gene pool can be taken from these reserves for
healthy offspring of threatened animals to be bred in these zoos.
Kuala Lumpur, 20/7/1999
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Created on 3rd Sept 1999