Actions to Expose Cruelty of Zoos in the Philippines Continues

Below you’ll read why this action continues. The treatment and condisitonr are horrendous.

Article:

Animal welfare group steps up anti-zoo drive

http://news.inq7.net/metro/index.php?index=1&story_id=78956

By Tina G. Santos
Inquirer

Editor's Note: Published on Page A18 of the June 13, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

THE People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) has stepped up its campaign to shut down all the zoos in the country.

Jamie Alarcon, spokesperson of the animal rights group, yesterday said they have come up with various antizoo advertisements “to strengthen their campaign and to remind people that animals are better off in the wild.”

“We stand in our belief that the only thing zoos teach people is that it’s okay to imprison the innocent and dictate to them what to do with their lives,” she said.

“It’s wrong to put these animals on display so that people can learn about them,” Alarcon added.

The protest, part of Peta’s worldwide campaign against zoos, calls for the Philippines to lead the way by becoming the first zoo-free country in Asia.

Peta’s antizoo advertisements include posters showing a comparison of animals who live in the wild and those confined in a zoo, Alarcon said.

One poster features an ostrich and an elephant inside a zoo.

The pictures is the message: “Life in the zoo: Lonely, sad, stressed, confined and away from home.”

“Ostriches can run up to 70 kilometers per hour. Just one stride can be three to five meters long—bigger than most rooms! They live in herds made up of 10 up to 100 animals,” Alarcon said.

She added that the elephant in Manila Zoo is confined to a small enclosure with little grass.

“Elephants can walk up to 48 kilometers every day in the wild but the entire zoo measures 5.5 hectares, or 0.055-sq km,” the Peta spokesperson said.

The other print ads feature an orangutan and several zebras living in the wild with the message: “Life in the wild: Gentle, happy, proud, content and free.”

“Orangutans, a highly endangered species, spend nearly all their time in the trees,” she said. “The Manila Zoo has a metal platform for its orangutan, but little else for swinging and other exercise.”

Alarcon said their group would also shoot antizoo commercials featuring local celebrities.