A veterinarian is accompanied by policemen to examine the animals at the Cebu City Zoo (CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO).
Cebu City residents may have to count the days until they bid goodbye to the 272 animals of the Cebu City Zoo.
Most of them will be shipped to a planned zoo in Negros Oriental while the birds will be transferred into the old Compania Maritima building which Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña plans to convert into an aviary.
While the mayor admitted that it would take time to do so, his plans to close down the zoo raised concern from former and current caretakers who called on Osmeña not to neglect the animals.
Dr. Pilar Romero, head of the Cebu Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Office (CWRCPO), earlier admitted that their food supplies for the animals are running out.
“My intention is to close down the zoo and (Amlan Mayor Gino dela Cruz) will be here because he wants to ask for animals to donate to Amlan. They want to have a zoo there,” he told reporters yesterday.
Amlan town is located in the southern part of Negros Oriental.
Osmeña said Mayor dela Cruz wrote to him about the donation of the animals.
He described Amlan as “a beautiful place” where his son Miguel got married.
Although he said he doesn’t know yet exactly when the donation may take place, the mayor admitted that it may take a while.
Osmeña said he would need to ask permission from the Cebu City Council on the donation as well as the actual land swap deal that he intends to enter into with the Cebu provincial government in order to address the 93-1 lot dispute.
The city is also set to enter into an agreement with the Cebu Ports Authority (CPA) for the co-management of the old Compania Maritima building which he said would be a good edifice for an aviary or a large enclosure for birds.
“I think it would be more attractive to the Cebuanos. It is a nice structure. You just put a net over it and you have all the birds inside. So you go and see the birds. I think a lot of people would like to see that compared to what it is right now,” Osmeña said.
Based on its latest inventory, the Cebu City Zoo, which is officially called the Cebu Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Office (CWRCPO), has close to a hundred different kinds of birds.
They include a cockatoo, parrots, brahminy kites, doves, a victoria crown, and love birds among others.
Other animals inside the zoo include Philippine macaques, civet cats, a Philippine brown deer, saltwater crocodiles, turtles, hammerhead sharks, alligators, pythons, sheep, goats and fishes, among others.
Dr. Pilar Romero, the newly assigned head of the CWRCPO, earlier said without any City Hall plans for the zoo, they are left with dwindling supplies of food.
All of their 20 personnel, including some wildlife experts, were not renewed by Osmeña.
And while there is still no final details on the closure of the zoo, some Cebu City councilors are asking for the mayor to tend to the animals in the facility.
“We’re trying to appeal to the mayor. Okay, let’s talk about the land swap. But let’s take care of these animals as of this very moment. It’s our obligation,” Councilor Joel Garganera said in yesterday’s press conference.
He also lamented how the mayor easily removed the trained personnel inside the facility especially since the city invested on their trainings including overseas.
During the press conference, Giovanni Romarate, former head of the zoo, echoed Garganera’s call for the city to spare the animals from whatever issues or conflicts or plans the mayor has.
“Let’s spare the animals. They didn’t do anything wrong. We’ve been doing our best to improve the facility to be more educational and interactive,” he said.
Romarate lamented that the personnel left to man the zoo are not as passionate or as well-informed on how to handle wildlife.
Councilor Raymund Alvin Garcia, who heads the council’s committee on laws, said there is a clear violation on the city’s part if they continue to disregard the animals.
He cited provisions of Republic Act 8485 or the Animal Welfare Act which states that it’s unlawful to neglect to provide adequate care, sustenance or shelter or maltreat animals.
It also prohibits any person who has custody of animals to abandon them.
“Pursuant to the law, it is really clear that there is really a violation of this particular law. So I think we should really revisit this particular provision and try to see if what we’re doing now with our zoo is violative or not,” he said.