T

he government plans to standardize all zoos and conservation institutions in the country following a series of reports of animal abuse at several zoos.

Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar said the standardization would be stipulated in a ministerial regulation that was being prepared.

“Because [if there’s no standardization], it could create problems, such as those at Surabaya Zoo and Bandung Zoo. These zoos have been criticized by the community,” she said in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, on Saturday.

Siti was referring to the poor living conditions and mismanagement of animals at the Surabaya and Bandung zoos.

Surabaya Zoo attracted local and international attention in 2012 following the deaths of many its animals. In one case, up to 20 kilograms of plastic was found in the stomach of a giraffe named Kliwon that was found dead in its enclosure.

In response to the problem, an online petition calling for the zoo’s closure was initiated, obtaining more than 100,000 signatures.

Bandung Zoo, meanwhile, was widely criticized following a video on YouTube showing sun bears at the zoo apparently begging visitors for food.

The same zoo came under fire last year when a Sumatran elephant, Yani, died after being sick for a week without receiving proper medical treatment. The zoo at the time did not have an in-house vet.