AUTHORITIES have pledged an investigation into allegations of neglect at a local zoo.
A complaint has been filed by Ahmed Kiani, a former Bahrain resident who now lives in Saudi Arabia, after he spotted an injured colt at Tasneem Zoo in Shahkura last month.
Mr Kiani posted pictures of the colt on his Facebook page on December 6, but officially filed the complaint yesterday with the Supreme Council for Environment (SCE), Al Areen Wildlife Park and Reserve, and the Bahrain Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA).
A spokeswoman from the SCE told the GDN that a team will be dispatched to the zoo to inspect the facilities.
“The SCE’s biodiversity department is investigating the complaint,” she said.
“The officials have contacted the person who complained and they will visit the facility soon.”
Mr Kiani, a Pakistan national who moved to Saudi Arabia in late 2017 but is a regular visitor to Bahrain, said he was disheartened when he saw the condition of the colt during a visit with his family.
He claimed that other animals at the zoo were also not taken care of properly, with enclosures in an appalling state.
Injured
“I saw this baby colt whose leg was very badly injured and it was left unattended,” he told the GDN.
“Also there was a sheep inside a cage which had definitely given birth to a baby lamb a while ago, as the baby was full of blood and water, but again there was no one to attend to it.
“African Parrots were also kept open at the zoo with no one to attend to them and children on a school trip were mishandling them.
“There is no proper food or water for the animals and they are put up in dirty, cold and dark places.”
He said he repeatedly followed up, through telephone calls and personal visits, with the administrators about the conditions of the animals but never received a response.
He said he finally lodged an official complaint with all three bodies concerned in hopes of addressing the allegations.
“I got a call from the SCE and they said they are investigating and will keep me posted on the actions taken,” he added.
“It is unacceptable that the animals are left unattended to and it is sheer cruelty and I am glad that there was quick action.”
BSPCA chairman Mahmood Faraj also told the GDN that the society contacted the zoo immediately after the incident was reported.
However, Yousif Ahmed, a zoo employee confirmed the colt has been treated by a veterinarian and was recovering in a separate enclosure.
“We are making sure that she is free from infections, while (another) horse with hurt gums is also fine according to the doctor,” he told the GDN.
“When it comes to pets, especially the African Grey parrots, we have them available for visitors to take pictures with them.
“The attitude of people towards pets is not within our control, but we try our best to make sure they are not abused.
Complaint
“We undergo regular inspection from the BSPCA and vets frequent the place and all our animals are well attended to.”
In 2018, the zoo was given 10 days to upgrade its facilities following criticism from animal welfare activists after a baboon was shown, in an online video, chained and pacing restlessly in a cage.
Officials from the Animal Wealth Directorate and the BSPCA visited the zoo after the video went viral on social media and the animal was moved to Al Areen Wildlife Park and Reserve in Sakhir.
raji@gdn.com.bh
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