Indonesia's 'death zoo' has claimed yet another innocent life: Yani the elephant cries on her deathbed before passing away

Wednesday, May 25, 2016 by: L.J. Devon, Staff Writer
Tags: Bandung Zoo, Indonesia, Yani the elephant

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(NaturalNews) A crude and crowded Indonesian zoo, where many animals have suffered premature deaths, has been temporarily closed. Established on the island of Java, the Bandung Zoo has been controversial in recent years, with neglected animals dying in filthy, overcrowded cages.

The zoo has disposed of several animal carcasses in the past few years. Animal rights activists have dubbed the place the "death zoo." The latest animal to suffer an agonizing death was Yani the elephant. Since the zoo is overcrowded and doesn't have a veterinarian on hand, animals often get ill and are left to suffer. The zoo operates with little money. As the animals are taken from their natural environment and forced into tight living quarters, their will to live fades. The death of the animals' spirits can almost be seen in the dying look in their eyes.

Emaciated and weak, Yani the elephant visibly weeps as zookeepers lay her down

When zookeepers pulled Yani the elephant from her cage in a last ditch attempt to treat her, the only thing the majestic animal could do was to fall over and weep. Yani can be seen on camera, with puddles of tears forming around her eyes. It is apparent the animal was suffering greatly.

Yani had been suffering for some time, and sores had overtaken her body. The zoo contacted outside veterinarians, but little could be done to save her.

Bandung mayor Ridwan Kamil visited Yani before the great elephant passed away. "If they don't have the budget to manage [the zoo], they should seek support," said Kamil. Visitors to the zoo often report that the animals there look emaciated and weak.

String of unexplained animal deaths at Bandung Zoo cause worldwide concern

Femke den Haas of the animal rights group the Jakarta Animal Aid Network reveals, "Yani's case is really just the tip of the iceberg because many animals are dying in Indonesian zoos."

In fact, Yani wasn't the first animal to suffer an unexplained death at the notorious Bandung Zoo. Just a month before Yani's death, a rare Sumatran tiger suddenly passed away due to poor living conditions. In 2014, the zoo also lost a giraffe. When they investigated the unexplained death, they found 40 pounds of plastic trash caught up in the animal's stomach. It's apparent that the zoo cannot even keep up with its own garbage.

Petrus Riski of the Indonesia Wildlife Communication Forum notes that the best way to ease the overpopulation of animals in Bandung Zoo is to send some of them to other conservation institutes.

The World Wildlife Fund reports that there are perhaps just 2,400 to 2,800 of these majestic Sumatran elephants left in the wild.

No one wants to watch an animal this beautiful go out like this, fallen over, with tears pouring from its eyes. ...

(Photo credit: Getty Images)

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

DailyMail.co.uk