2 Gov’t Agencies Want Animals at Cebu City Zoo Released to the Wild or Moved to a Better Facility

Officials of two national government agencies have recommended that the more than 200 animals at the Cebu City Zoo in Barangay Kalunasan should be released to the wild or transferred to a better facility.

Officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7 and the Department of Agriculture (DA) 7 Regulatory Division made this recommendation after conducting a joint inspection and inventory with Cebu City Hall officials at the zoo on Monday after reports said they are “dying.”

DA 7 Animal Welfare Officer Dr. Raul Migriño said the situation of the animals at the zoo does not conform with the animal welfare law.

“There are some birds that should not be chained or placed inside small cages. They should be in enclosures so they can display normal behavior. If we talk about animal welfare, the zoo will have a failing score,” he said.

With most of the animals inside small cages, Migriño said he is not sure how the animals are being fed or how they eat.

“They’re in a pitiable state. My recommendation, they should be transferred to a better facility,” he said.

Rainier Manlegro, zoology technician of the DENR’s Conservation and Development Division, said all endemic and indigenous animals at the zoo should be turned over to them so they can be released back to the wild.

These include the banog (hawks), serpent eagles, monitor lizards, saltwater crocodiles, freshwater crocodiles and box turtles, among others.

Based on their inspection, he said, the animals are still “healthy.”

Cebu City Department of Veterinary and Medicine Fsheries Chief Dr. Alice Utlang said the domestic animals at the zoo will be released on the first week of October.

She said she has asked the Cebu City Agriculture’s Office to give the chickens, turkeys, ducks, sheep, goats, dogs and rabbits to farmers in the city for breeding purposes.

Utlang said the other animals, except for the birds, will be turned over to the DENR since there are no documents to prove they are owned by the city.

She said the three Burmese pythons were already taken by former zoo manager Giovanni Romarate, while the three peacocks were taken by the supplier of food in the area.

Manlegro said the remaining animals can be loaned to the zoo operated by the Municipality of Amlan in Negros Oriental, which incidentally asked Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña for the animals.

Utlang said the Amlan zoo is a well-equipped facility, which has a wildlife farm permit from the DENR. (PNA) JMC/EB/EBP