The lion with overgrown claws at the Johor Zoo is now recuperating but that does not mean that Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) will put the matter to rest.

More questions arise as to how on earth did the lion get to that stage of dragging its rear and staggering without ever being noticed by its keeper? Is the caretaker blind to the lion’s defective movement or is he not bothered by the condition of his charge? Are there animal keepers or caretakers in the employment of the zoo or do they only act on service of a contract to feed the animals?

Is the Johore state government aware of the lion’s plight or did it fail to receive feedback and report from the keeper/caretaker and the zoo management with regards to the lion’s condition? Why wait for the incident to go viral before action is taken to have its claws cut.

The problem only came to light after it was highlighted by a zoo visitor - a Twitter user, who noticed there was something terribly wrong with the lion but not the zoo staff. It shows an extreme lack of care and attention to the zoo’s captive wildlife by those responsible for the welfare of zoo animals.

Perhilitan is partly to be blamed for their oversight when making their regular checks on the zoo. How could such a miserable frail-looking lion miss Perhilitan’s observation during their regular checks on Johor zoo purportedly once every three months? SAM is curious as to how checks into zoos are conducted and whether they are stringent.

By allowing the claws to grow to such an extent until they curled around into the feet without the zoo authorities and Perhilitan addressing the issue before it even got to that point, is indeed irresponsible.

The other question that needs to be addressed is whether translocation of the Johor Zoo to Nusajaya will bring great improvements to lives of captive animals. Will there be a recurrence of the same old problem of inept animal husbandry, bad management and incompetent direction?

Currently the animals are living in barren enclosures where they live lonely lives in boredom, deprived from acting out their natural ways, like running, roaming, flying, climbing, foraging and being with others of their own kind and far from their natural homes. It is about time serious efforts be taken to improve the state of the present zoo with expert advice sought.

Ultimately nothing could replicate lives in the wild. Freedom is a precious concept and wild animals suffer physically and mentally from the lack of freedom captivity imposes.

SAM again reiterates its stand that zoos in Malaysia are wretched places and about time no new permits should be given for new zoos.

Effective conservation offers a better chance to save species, without diverting energy and funds away from the urgent action needed in saving its last remaining wildlife habitats. The main goal is not only to conserve species habitats but the whole ecosystems.

SM MOHAMED IDRIS is president, Sahabat Alam Malaysia.