In January last year, a senior veterinarian from the Sabah Wildlife Department announced that the Lok Kawi Wildlife Park zoo would be improved in a ‘master plan’ involving RM500,000 which would be spent in the same year, with the state cabinet’s approval. The same vet also admitted the zoo was bleeding massive amounts of money, several million yearly to be exact.

More than 18 months later, little has changed at the zoo. In fact, upon investigation most animal enclosures are still in the same condition. Snakes can be found in small and barren vivariums, crocodiles and lizards in tiny enclosures.

In our latest visit we witnessed elephants still living in the same barren enclosure with thankfully at least a pond for them to wallow in. Some elephants who are tethered on chains behind-the-scenes are seen ‘weaving’, a stereotypical act of stress.

The zoo also offers elephant rides to children. Elephant rides are only about amusement and most elephants suffer physically behind-the-scenes to force her to get people on her back. A ‘bullhook’ is used to force the elephant to obey the commands of the keeper.

Just look at the head of a bull (male elephant) forced to be ridden on at the Lok Kawi zoo and you will notice bullhook scars. Teaching children that elephants are meant to be ridden on and ridiculed is a sorry practice and should be stopped not only in the Lok Kawi zoo, but across all zoos in Malaysia including the exploitative A’Famosa Resort in Malacca.

Visitors can also be seen feeding animals at their will, as keeper supervision was not seen almost throughout the zoo. Investigators had to stop curious visitors from trying to feed the zoo’s orangutans, though this is a phenomenon which happens in other Malaysian zoos from the same lack of supervision on visitors, unacceptable of course.

In January this year, the oldest rhino in the world, Gelugob, died. Reports showed she had succumbed to poor care and neglect.

This zoo also conducts animal shows to entertain visitors. Astonishingly, the zoo also previously used an ex-rehabilitant orangutan at Sepilok to perform in its shows, including to split a coconut and paint. Malaysian zoos are adept at producing tacky animal shows which is only designed to humiliated the animals involved. Bear in mind where show animals go after one is over, could it be in tiny cramped cages?

Though major improvements at the zoo are needed, Sabah is a state blessed with a myriad of wildlife and she truly does not need a zoo to impress local and foreign tourists from around the world or earn extra income. And the fact is the Lok Kawi zoo, like most zoos in Malaysia, is losing money and probably does not get sufficient funding from the state nor federal government, while tens of millions are wasted on Chinese pandas.

Wildlife in Sabah is supposed to be witnessed where they belong, in the wild. Though wildlife habitat continues to be destroyed by deforestation, especially for palm oil. Ethical wildlife tourism can also boost locals' income.

Tourists should go to Sabah to see animals in the wild. But of course viewing orangutans at Sepilok or the Shangri-la Rasa Ria Resort doesn’t count as wild orangutan viewing, in fact they shouldn’t be viewed at both these places by the public at all!

UPRESHPAL SINGH is director, Friends Of The Orangutans ( www.fotomalaysia.org ).