Manila: More lawmakers have joined the clamour for the transfer of an Asian elephant confined at the city zoo to a bigger enclosure in Thailand, where she would be assured of better conditions and treatment.
Representatives Luzviminda Ilagan and Emmi de Jesus of the womens’ party list Gabriela said there is an immediate need for Mali the Elephant to be moved from her present pen at the Manila Zoo to the Boon Lott Elephant Sanctuary (BLES) in Thailand where she would have a bigger area to roam.
De Jesus and Ilagan said conditions are better at the BLES for the 38-year-old female pachyderm. Mali had been the Manila Zoo’s main attraction for more than three decades after arriving from Sri Lanka in 1974.
“Mali’s confinement in a concrete enclosure with very limited space restricts its movement, thus chronic pressure sores develop, and its foot infections and arthritis continue to worsen, as concrete surfaces do not allow a variety of surfaces for her to roam around in, causing infections which lead to death among elephants,” Ilagan said.
Elephants are not endemic to the Philippines although similar Asian jumbos can be found in other nearby countries with similar tropical climates such as Thailand and Burma among others.
Ilagan and De Jesus authored a measure in the lower chamber, House Resolution 2937, which urged the City of Manila, the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) and the Protected Area and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) to facilitate the immediate transfer of Mali to Thailand.
According to De Jesus, solitary confinement does not offer social conditions ideal for a female elephant.
Taking note of the opinion of veterinarians and elephant experts, De Jesus said the removal of companions and the lack of emotional support have placed Mali under chronically high level of stress which lowered her reproductive function and immunity and increased her muscle breakdown.
“All of these severely compromise the psychological and physical conditions of the elephant,” De Jesus said.
Earlier the animal rights group, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) mounted a campaign to secure the transfer of Mali from the Manila Zoo to the elephant sanctuary in Thailand.
“The try to imagine living your whole life in a room the size of a bedroom, seeing the same four walls every day. You’d have no friends or companionship and nothing whatsoever to pass the time or provide you with comfort. You’d never get to leave. That’s exactly what life is like for Mali,” PETA said in its website http://action.peta.org.uk/.
“Mali is a mere shell of the magnificent being she’s meant to be. She is the only captive elephant in the Philippines, and she needs to be retired without delay,” PETA said.
The De Jesus supported calls for Mali’s transfer to the BLES, which specializes in rehabilitating Asian elephants.
Prior to De Jesus and Ilagan’s measure, Reps. Carlos Padilla (Lone District, Nueva Vizcaya), Rufus Rodriguez (2nd District, Cagayan De Oro City) and Maximo Rodriguez (Party-list, Abante Mindanao), also urged the government agencies to facilitate the immediate transfer of Mali to Thailand.
