A photograph of a monkey and a cat within the Kunming zoo. Photo: VCG
A zoo in Kunming, Southwest China’s Yunnan Province, eliminated two cats from its monkey mountain enclosure after movies depicting the monkeys torturing the cats, which the zoo had placed within the enclosure for rodent management, sparked public outrage and debate about animal safety and zoo administration.
According to a press release launched by the Kunming Zoo on Sunday, the 2 cats had been safely faraway from the monkey mountain enclosure at round 9:40 pm on Saturday. A radical bodily examination by the animal hospital of Yunnan Agricultural University on the cats confirmed that they’ve good bodily circumstances with no exterior accidents and with regular motion capability. The two cats will probably be correctly rehomed by the China Small Animal Protection Association.
Video footages circulating on-line over the previous few days present monkeys dragging the cats round and plucking their whiskers, sparking public outrage towards the cohabitation observe adopted by the zoo in addition to issues over administration on the zoo by way of the angle of animal safety.
The zoo launched two notices on January 19 and 26 in response to public issues, which mentioned a earlier rat infestation had induced the variety of rats amounting to 300 to 500 as a consequence of meals storage points and the acceptable dwelling situation of caves for rodents on the monkey enclosure.
Following the recommendation of native consultants and residents, the zoo in 2013 placed eight cats into the enclosure they usually additional produced 4 extra felines, which successfully managed the rat infestation. In order to guarantee the persistent management impact over the rat infestation, the zoo moved out 10 cats and left two within the monkey enclosure.
According to the zoo, the monkeys and cats have been getting alongside effectively over the last decade with the cats remaining in good bodily situation.
The zoo additionally attributed the video footage to a show of regular animal frolicking. Some monkeys even groom the cats and decide lice for the cats, the zoo mentioned in a press release.
However, some netizens didn’t purchase the reason and uncovered that two cats put into the monkey enclosure had been tortured by the monkeys.
Chuncheng Evening News, a newspaper in Yunnan Province, additionally reported in 2017 that the preliminary introduction of two stray cats to the monkey mountain resulted within the unlucky demise of the felines.
Online footage reveals {that a} cat lover even tried to climb into the monkey mountain to avoid wasting the cats.
Considering that the monkeys saved on the zoo are wild animals earlier than they had been placed in captivity, related assessments must be carried out earlier than introducing cats, particularly these had been as soon as saved as pets, into the monkey enclosure, Sun Quanhui, a scientist from the World Animal Protection organization, informed the Global Times on Sunday, noting that such cohabitation practices can go away some detrimental impression on animals and is probably not wholesome for the animals over the long run.
Despite cats have been domesticated, they nonetheless preserve their nocturnal behavior whereas the monkeys quite the opposite have actions throughout daytime, which might disturb cats’ sleep and relaxation, Sun mentioned.
Others criticized that the zoo, which additionally bears the accountability of animal safety, shouldn’t sacrifice the cats to the safety of monkeys.
In gentle of the incident, Kunming Zoo expressed its appreciation over the general public’s issues over the animals’ dwelling circumstances and assist to the zoo in a press release on Sunday and its dedication to reflecting on its shortcomings and promptly contemplating public opinions and ideas to supply animals with a pure, protected and wholesome dwelling surroundings.
