Jakarta, IO – A Sumatran tiger was found dead at the Medan Zoo, Monday (6/11). The endangered big cat named Erha has been sick in the last few days and refused to eat.
Arfan, a staff at Medan Zoo said Erha had been sick since November 1 and its condition deteriorated by the day until it had to be treated on Friday (3/11), per CNNIndonesia, Tuesday (7/11).
“He looked emaciated,” revealed Arfan. Erha is a male tiger born from the parents Anhar and Manis at Medan Zoo on October 18, 2012. For 11 years, Erha has never mated.
Rahudman Harahap, the former mayor of Medan, said he was saddened by his death because the tiger was born when he was in office. In fact, Erha is derived from the initial syllables of Rahudman Harahap.
Rahudman accused Medan Zoo of negligence. He pointed out that the zoo is not well maintained with many facilities damaged and the cages not in accordance with animal welfare principles.
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He urged the North Sumatra Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BBKSDA) to pay more attention to the condition of Medan Zoo as a conservation institution.
“Don’t wait for more victims before you start paying attention. Help the city government. Take the best steps to address this [issue],” he criticized. (un)