T

he Indonesian Zoos Association (PKBSI) says it is ready to return all animals it has received from Surabaya Zoo (KBS) in East Java through the Forestry Ministry, if the state requests.

PKBSI chairman Rahmat Shah said on Sunday that the transferred animals were the state'€™s property.

'€œIt'€™s up to the state if it wants to return the animals to KBS,'€ he said, responding to recent demands expressed by a number of Surabaya community figures for the return of the animals to the KBS.

Rahmat, who also manages Pematang Siantar Animal Park in North Sumatra, said the association had no intention to take possession of the dozens of animals transferred from the KBS.

He said the association had received the animals because of a Forestry Ministry policy to move some of the KBS'€™ animal collections to a number of conservation institutions to prevent overpopulation issues.

He also expressed concern over the condition of the KBS, which seemed to have been not taken care of as indicated by the deaths of many animals.

He said someone had placed cyanide and formalin in almost all food given to the animals in the KBS, leading to their deaths.

'€œWe have police forensic evidence on the cause of the deaths of the animals in the KBS. They died because they were poisoned,'€ Rahmat said, calling on the police to thoroughly investigate the case.

In the last few years, the KBS has become notorious for the deaths of many of its animals. This, according to Rahmat, has damaged Indonesia'€™s image.

He said a number of foreign NGOs continued to monitor the KBS animal death cases and had decided not to visit Indonesian zoos until the case was thoroughly handled.

'€œThis is shameful for the country. Let'€™s fix and rebuild the KBS together, without mutual suspicion, to restore the country'€™s image,'€ Rahmat said.

He added that the transfer of the animals from the KBS was done according to prevailing procedures and with government approval.

He also called on all parties to avoid expressing misleading comments on the alleged animal trade worth hundreds of billions of rupiah at the KBS.

'€œThere is no selling of animals in the KBS,'€ Rahmat assured.

Former KBS temporary management team chairman Tony Sumampau concurred and said the transfer of animals from the KBS to six conservation institutions was procedural and had approval from the Forestry Ministry.

'€œIt was done according to the regulations and Law No 5/1990 on ecosystem and bio natural resource conservation,'€ said Tony, who is also PKBSI secretary.

The six receiving conservation institutions are Indonesia Safari Park, Pematang Siantar Animal Park, Mirah Fantasia Zoo Banyuwangi, Lembah Hijau Animal Park Lampung, East Java Park and Maharani Zoo Lamongan.

Earlier this year, Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini filed a report with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) accusing the former management of the KBS of graft and gross mismanagement resulting in the deaths of several exotic animals.

Risma alleged there were groups within the management that had traded several animals in return for financial gain, which had sparked internal conflict.

She declined to comment on the identity of individuals in such groups.

The KBS is home to approximately 3,000 animals, 420 of which are protected species.

In January, an online petition calling for the zoo'€™s closure obtained more than 73,000 signatures.

Andrea Perkins, who created the change.org petition, wrote: '€œThis zoo must be shut down permanently'€.