There are some pictures that should really only come from horror films, but what is happening in Surabaya, an Indonesian zoo, is the bitter truth. Once proud and beautiful wild animals are just wasting away because the handlers in the complex are totallyincapable of providing even rudimentary care for the animals.
It's no wonder that a proud tiger with a shiny coat can become a skin and bone picture of misery, when you see these measly food rations.
Each month dozens die a torturous and unnatural death. The animals starve or die of diseases, which go untreated.
The catastrophic conditions of the zoo have been known for years. In 2002 it was revealed that neither the management nor the carers had sufficient training. This bear suffers from an atrocious skin disease as a result of poor handling. Without proper treatment, he ekes out his existence in a tiny, filthy cage.
Since 2010 the zoo has been under management of the state, therefore many of the longstanding employees were let go and replaced with unskilled seasonal workers. This made the situation even worse. This camel is currently eating what is probably his first meal for a long time. Razor-sharp, his bones strain against his hairless skin.
Elephants are very gracious, intelligent animals. In the Surabaya Zoo however, they are chained up by 3 legs on a hard cement floor. Nobody is interested in the fact that the chains torturously cut into their flesh.
Other animals are so emaciated that they are no longer able to move. Consequently, the animals get locked up in a tiny room and have no chance to live and behave naturally.
The last Giraffe in the zoo died with approx. 20kg of plastic in its stomach. The plastic is partly from rubbish in the enclosure that was not cleaned away by the carers, and partly from sweets wrappers that the ignorant zoo visitors attempt to feed the animals.
The increase of many animals is now completely out of control. This bleak enclosure is heavily overpopulated and has no interactive opportunities. The animals spend their lives in filth, hunger and monotony.
In contrast, there are some animals that can only dream of companionship. Several orangutans languish in rusty cages that are so small that responsible and informed pet owners would not even keep a pet rabbit in them.
No food, no water, no climbing - or hiding possibilities: the wind and weather teem down upon the animals in their cages.
What is serving as an outdoor enclosure for this hippo is nothing more than an abysmal insolence.
Although these aviaries offer more space, they squash almost 180 pelicans into this small area, which just screams factory farming.
The media refers to this place as "The Zoo of Death". The Surabaya Zoo remains true to its image with its most famous victim: Michael the lion was only 18 months old when he got stuck on a dangerous wire and suffocated while hanging there. And before the police arrived, they hid the body in order to prevent an investigation.
No life blossoms in this zoo, just pain and death. This zoo urgently needs to be shut down! To help, you can sign this petition. And there's more that you can do: avoid visiting zoos and circuses that display wild animals. These animals do not belong in cages nor do they serve to be our entertainment. Share this message so that others have the chance to sign the petition and finally close the zoo from hell and move all the animals onto nature reserves.