Animal welfare NGOs have expressed concern after draft zoo regulations that are currently up for public consultation changed direction to allow for wild animals to be petted under supervision.
The original regulation, which was published for consultation on November 9, forbade any direct interaction between the public and cubs or any other wild animal, however, just 24 hours later the stipulation was changed to allow the practice under the supervision of the zoo's vet.
Originally the law stated that “no animal or cub will be exposed to or handled by the public with the scope of petting or taking pictures or any other interaction, since this may compromise the normal mother/cub relationship and may also compromise the psychological integrity of the animal and the safety of the public”.
On November 10, this was amended to read “animals or cubs can only be exposed to or handled by the public with the scope of petting or taking pictures or any other interactions, under the responsibility of the veterinarian responsible for the zoo to ensure that this does not compromise the normal mother/cub relationship or compromise the psychological integrity of the animal and the safety of the public”.
Cub petting and photo ops is a lucrative for-profit activity that is a staple with zookeepers who keep charismatic animals like big cats.
‘A gimmick for profit’
Animal welfare NGO Time for Change expressed concern over the u-turn, saying the change was serious and contradictory in allowing a practice that had been banned in the previous iteration of the law, criticising the backtracking and politicians who had posted pictures of themselves handling tiger cubs.
“Why are regulators insisting that animals should be allowed to be pet by the public? This has no conservation benefits whatsoever and has very serious consequences for animal welfare,” they said.
“Petting a wild animal is not the same as petting a dog or a cat. Whether or not they were born in captivity, their species-specific requirements have not developed to a point where direct interaction with the public will be beneficial in any way. This is simply a gimmick used by zoos to generate profits.”
Several environmental NGOs have urged the public to participate in the public consultation, which closes on December 7, saying that the proposed rules do not go far enough to protect animals from suffering.