Cebu City prepares zoo for possible closure

By: Michaela Jaycel L. Dolores September 26,2016 - 11:20 PM

Personnel from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Central Visayas, City Veterinary Office and City Agriculture Office make an inventory on the wild and domestic animals at the Cebu City zoo (CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO).

Personnel from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Central Visayas, City Veterinary Office and City Agriculture Office make an inventory on the wild and domestic animals at the Cebu City zoo (CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO).


DENR-7, City Veterinary Office and City Agriculture Office inventory animals

With a bundle of grass in one hand, 65-year-old Fely Pino approached the staff of the Cebu Zoo asking about Kayang.

Kayang is one of the two goats Pino donated to the Cebu Zoo a few years ago, when these were still kids.

With the news of the animals being possibly relocated, she relishes maybe their last days near each other.

“Mingawon gyud kos ako kanding kay maayo man diri kay makaduol- duol ra man ko diri, (I would miss my goats if they’ll be relocated because at least here, they are near,)” expressed Pino.

With free entrance to the zoo whenever she likes, Pino comes in once in a while to feed and talk to her goats.

Domestic animals

If the planned closure of the zoo would push through, then Kayang would be one of the many domestic animals, which would be transferred to the City Agriculture Office by the first week of October.

The City Agriculture Office is tasked to facilitate the turning over of domestic animals to farmers for reproduction.

Others will also be used for the City Agriculture’s farm showcase.

Inventory

Yesterday, representatives of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Central Visayas, the City Veterinary Office and the Cebu City Veterinary Office conducted an inventory of the zoo animals in preparation for the possible closure of the zoo.

Domestic animals in the zoo like the turkey, deer, chickens, rabbits, sheep and ducks will be transferred to the City Agriculture Office if the zoo will be closed.

Wildlife — endemic and indigenous animals — of the Cebu City Zoo will be turned over to the DENR-7.

The endemic and indigenous animals will be released once the DENR has ensured their welfare and condition.

“Since we are the City Wildlife Resources Protection office, para nako it is better to release these endemic, indigenous wildlife,” said Rainier Manlegro, DENR-7 Enforcement Division Zoology technician.

“Ang purpose sa rehabilitation man gud is to catch and rescue wildlife. Ang ato man gud is for knowledge building, so we rescue wildlife from turnover siguro nga napusilan. If tan-aw nato nga puwede na sila marelease, then atong irelease,” said Manlegro.

Endemic animals are those that are native of a place like the Asian Box Turtle and saltwater crocodile while indigenous animals are those born in a specific area.

The Cebu City Veterinary Office, along with DENR, will coordinate in identifying and when to release these animals to the wild.

During an dyLA interview last Saturday, a DENR-7 official said that they were considering releasing the endemic animals in Cebu’s Tabunan forest area.

Amlan transfer

For the planned transfer of animals to a Wildlife Farm in Amlan, Negros Occidental, Manlegro said the farm there are certified by the DENR and had better facilities to sustain the wildlife.

He also said that if the transfer would push through, the animals that would be transferred there would only be on loan.

He said that this would mean that the Cebu City government would still own the animals and Amlan would only be there to feature the wildlife in their exhibit.

Unfit for operations

During yesterday’s inventory, Dr. Raul Migrino, the animal welfare officer from the Department of Agriculture, said he saw the facility unfit for operations.

“If we talk about animal welfare, halos tanan gyud wala naka- conform. Nakit- an naman nato nga ingun- ani, we should do proper actions for them to transfer,” said Migrino.

One of the things he observed was that the animals were placed in cages instead of enclosures where they could move around like normal.

Dr. Alice Utlang said that the zoo would still be operational until the mayor would announce it as close.

With this news, Fely Pino smiled as she could still have more time to visit Kayang the goat and feed her with the bundle of grass she would bring with her there.

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TAGS: agriculture, animals, Cebu zoo, DENR-7, veterinary, zoo

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