T

he poor treatment of animals at Surabaya Zoo may lead some Australian tour operators to boycott trips to East Java, according to a local tourism official.

Yusak Anshori, the head of the East Java Tourism Council, said that several Australian tour operators had sent him a joint email to express their concern about overpopulation at Surabaya Zoo and about allegations of its mistreatment of animals.

“This needs a quick response,” Yusak told The Jakarta Post in Surabaya , East Java, on Friday.

In the email, Luke Cooper from Sydney, Australia, said he intended to visit Surabaya with around 20 others, but canceled his plans following media reports about the poor conditions faced by animals at the zoo.

According to Yusak, the council also received similar emails from people in the Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea and the UK asking if the Indonesian government would take action to save the animals at the zoo.

The 15-hectare zoo is home to 4,025 animals, which is regarded as over its capacity. As many as 44 animals at the zoo reportedly suffer from chronic diseases.

Allegations of poor treatment have dogged the zoo, most recently prompted by the death of a bull that fractured its leg on Thursday.

ProFauna Indonesia chairman Rosek Nursahid said that the group had also received similar messages of concern from wildlife observation networks in Australia, Europe, and the US.

“I can only describe the real condition of the animals at the zoo, which are in a sad state,” said Rosek.

Separately, Hadi Prasetyo, the head of the zoo’s temporary management team, said he was shocked by the threats and promised to immediately take measures to improve the animals’ welfare, such as by forming an independent team to professionally audit animal conservation at the zoo.

“We will use the outcome of the assessment to relocate overpopulated animal enclosures,” Hadi said.

The team was also trying to ensure that the zoo was clean and that the animals had healthy diets and acceptable accommodations.