Zoo animals endure huge holiday crowds

Lions and tigers, as well as komodo dragons and orangutans, may face extra stress during Idul Fitri, as thousands of people flood the nation’s zoo and wildlife tourism sites during holiday season, an animal expert says.

An increased number of visitors might make zoo animals feel more stress than usual, said Bambang Sektiari Lukiswanto, a professor of veterinary medicine from Airlangga University in East Java.

“The increased number of people and the increased volume of sounds will have an effect,” he said.

Bambang said that the stress might take various forms, such as increased aggression, digestive problems, as well decreased immune responses, which might make the animals more vulnerable to disease.

Ragunan Zoo spokesman Wahyudi Bambang Prihantoro said that animals at the zoo in South Jakarta were already used to crowds and had not displayed any signs of failing health during previous peak seasons.

“They have already been trained and they have adapted to such large crowds,” he said.

Visitors swarmed Ragunan on Monday. An employee said 168,000 people visited the zoo on Sunday.

Primates were one of the most watched species at Ragunan on Monday. One orangutan was observed while drinking mineral water from a plastic cup.

“That is what we fear: Visitors giving animals food and drink that they are not supposed to consume. Sometimes the animals adapt and start to prefer to eat human food,” Wahyudi said.

Visitors were also drawn to the zoo’s big cats. Several people were seen urging the beasts to act fiercely by clapping, shouting or even by throwing rocks.

A zookeeper said that the animals received no special care during or after the Idul Fitri holiday season.

Taman Safari Indonesia in Bogor, West Java, also reported an increase in holiday visitors and offered night safaris on three consecutive Idul Fitri evenings, said park spokesman Yulius.

The animals were not disturbed by the increased activity or the unusually high number of visitors because they had adapted and were used to facing crowds, he said.

Surabaya’s zoo, which made headlines after hundreds of its animals, including an endangered Sumatran tiger, died over the last year from alleged ill treatment, will remain open during this year’s peak season.

Zoo spokesman Agus Supangkat said this year’s holiday programs would differ from its usual entertainment-based shows and have more “conservation education” content.

Several animals at the zoo were previously sickened, some fatally, after eating plastic objects thrown by visitors into cages, Agus said.

Bambang said that zoo animals might still suffer from increased stress during the holidays despite their familiarity with humans.

“It’s a tradition that humans have their holidays and go to the zoo, but the animals themselves will not have much fun if they are disturbed more than usual,” he said.

Bambang added that animals too have their own limits, including their tolerance for “serving” human beings through performances.