Manja Today

Manja on a platform

When I wrote a short story about “Manja the Orangutan” three years ago, Manja was still part of the animal show at Zoo Negara. Now, Manja and Kiti (Manja’s sister) no longer perform in compliance with animal rights worldwide. Everyone knows that an animal that is made to perform tricks or any kind of acting is subjected to restraint and some form of discipline that includes food rationing and in many cases, physical abuse. In order to stop all these cruel acts whether intentionally or unintentionally, any form of animal training is considered inappropriate and inhumane.

Chokey's foot

Do not allow our fun with animals be at the expense of the animals used to entertain. What we see is the show. Behind the scene, during training many of these animals go through beatings and even pinching as I have witnessed myself. In more extreme cases as in the training of elephants (not in Malaysia, thank god), they are kicked and probed with bull hooks. There are many examples of these especially in circuses and TV films and commercials. In order to feature great apes in films, TV programmes, and advertisements, trainers typically take docile baby apes away from their mothers and beat them into submission. If the animals fight back, food will not be given. Using great apes in advertisements, movies or attractions perpetuates the idea that animals are ours to use in any way deemed fit as long as it makes money or provokes a laugh.

Chokey sucks Hani's fingers

Chimpanzees, orang-utans and other great apes are extremely intelligent and their complex physical and psychological needs and desires, such as seeking a mate, raising a family, foraging for food, basking in the sun and establishing their territories cannot be met in captivity.

Chokey loves to be touched

So, the next time you see an animal show; just think about the training that goes with it... Animals, like humans do not like to be mocked at and made fun of. They do have feelings. It has been scientifically proven that animals do endure stresses and pain.

Last Saturday, I went to visit Manja and the orangutans in Zoo Negara. I mentioned earlier about the very much needed public support to help Zoo Negara in its finances in order to provide well for the animals, our Malaysian animals because there isn’t enough money to build comfortable and more humane exhibit enclosures for the orangutans.

So, for now the ten orangutans gets the opportunity to stay in the biggest enclosure on a time divided schedule. A male orangutan cannot be in the same enclosure with a male. Since March this year, every Saturdays and Sundays the four Bornean orang-utans, Manja, Awang, Punky and Kiti get their chance to move around and climb up the platform posts as they would in the forest canopies as compared to being caged up in the little cages. The others are Chokey, Sulung, Anna, Salmah, Rokiah and her daughter Tsunami. They are Sumatran orang-utans.

Kiti with her antics

Thanks to Encik Ishak, En Parvess, En Ramli and Dr. Mohd Ngah for the effort. Moving the big apes from cage to cage, as I have witnessed needs a lot of patience and coercing because physical contact is not appropriate and illegal. Keepers have been bitten and injured during these processes. Imagine getting Awang who is over 300pounds heavy and he is the dominant male! But he is happier now. For years, I have been visiting him and the rest of my hairy children in their small cages. Now they get to play around awhile in the bigger exhibit enclosure.

Punky and Kiti waiting for treats

Please, please.....to the rich corporate banks and the kind public and especially our government heads, please let us all provide well and kindly to the animals in ZOOS. These animals have no choice but to be there unless we release them back to the wilderness, if we have any wilderness left.... These are our own national, very Malaysian treasures that no other nation has...the Malaysian Bornean Orangutans.

Awang and Manja....

Please make generous donations to Zoo Negara....Please.....

-Rossiti Aishah Rashidi-