WHILE many people agree with a recent government decision to step up security and the protection of animals at zoos, State-owned and private zoos are worried about their survival.
China s Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development banned animal performances at zoos for three months from Tuesday after a gardener at Shenzhen Safari Park was mauled to death by tigers Oct. 14.
According to several State-owned zoos, operating costs depend on government financial support, which has long been insufficient. Without income from animal performances to cover salaries, the zoos say, they will not have the staff to care for the animals.
If animal performances are banned, many zoos will find it difficult to survive unless there is an increase in financial support or preferential policies, said an unidentified department manager at Nanchang Zoo in Jiangxi Province.
Unlike State-owned zoos, private zoos rely entirely on income from animal performances.
Nearly 30 safari parks opened nationwide since Shenzhen Safari Park opened in 1993, but most were forced to close after going bankrupt. Xiangjiang Safari Park, Shanghai Safari Park and Shenzhen Safari Park are among the very few that have survived.
Employees at Shenzhen Safari Park said animal performances had always been a feature of Chinese safari parks and these determined the number of visitors to the parks.
Most zoos and safari parks were still arranging and staging animal performances at press time Thursday, saying they had not yet been notified of the temporary ban.
Shenzhen Safari Park is a 250-million-yuan (US$37 million) project and was the first animal park in China to combine the functions of a zoo, botanical garden and sightseeing attraction. It houses a large number of monkeys, sea animals, tigers, lions, pandas and reptiles from different parts of the world.
(Jane Lai)
