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number of long-tailed macaque monkeys at the Surabaya Zoo (KBS) in East Java are still eating garbage dumped by visitors, despite the fact that some zoo animals have already died because of eating plastic waste.

Some of the monkeys, which are kept in a cage measuring 10 by 12 meters, were also seen competing to grab peanuts from visitors who apparently fed them just for amusement.

Suhadi, one of the zoo'€™s cleaning service officers, said that the zoo had placed some signs to warn visitors not to throw food to the animals in the cages.

'€œYet, many visitors ignore the warning signs. They do not just feed the animals, but also throw litter,'€ Suhadi said.

He said every Saturday morning Mayor Tri Rismaharini visits the zoo to monitor the condition of the animals and the cleanliness of the place. Suhadi said the mayor started doing that ever since the management of the zoo was handed over to the Surabaya city administration,

'€œShe always gets mad at the officers when she finds garbage littered anywhere and even picks it up herself,'€ Suhadi said.

Located on Jl. Setail, the KBS was once named the zoo with the most complete collection of animals in Southeast Asia. It accommodates more than 2,800 animals of 350 different species, including rare mammals, birds, reptiles and fish.

The management rakes in Rp 1.5 billion (US$122,409) in revenues annually.

The zoo, which was established in 1916, gained local and international public attention in 2012 following the deaths of many of the animals in its collection. At that time, up to 20 kilograms of plastic was found in the stomach of a giraffe named Kliwon, who had died in his stall.

It was after that incident that the Forestry Ministry handed over the management of the zoo to Surabaya'€™s administration.

Activists called on the police and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to thoroughly investigate the animal deaths and the alleged corruption connected to the trade of animals.

Surabaya City Police Chief Sr. Comr. Setija Junianta said the police continued investigating the case.

'€œWe have examined many people, including officials at the Forestry Ministry, the chairman of the zoo'€™s temporary management and executives of the Association of Indonesian Zoos,'€ Setija said.

He said that 420 animals had been removed from the KBS because the zoo had been considered over-populated.

Providing a comparison, Setija said that the 178-hectare Safari Park in Bogor, West Java, only accommodated some 1,500 animals while the 15-hectare KBS has had as many as 4,025 animals in it.

'€œIn fact, up to the present, data from the East Java Natural Resource Conservation Center (BKSDA) says that some 300 animals at the zoo are still in critical condition,'€ Setija said.

Separately, the former chairman of the zoo'€™s temporary management, Tony Sumampau, welcomed the police to investigate the case, saying that he had not taken any advantages from the transfer of animals from the KBS.