KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 19 — An activist has renewed calls to bring home three Malaysian elephants from a Japanese zoo, claiming they are showing signs of serious emotional distress.
Dara, Amoi and Kelat have lived at Tennoji Zoo in Osaka since March under a 25-year cooperation deal with Taiping Zoo & Night Safari.
Siti Rabiah Raws of the Environmental Conservation Association of Malaysia said all three have been seen shaking or swinging their heads excessively and repeatedly, which she called “a clear sign of extremely severe emotional distress and possibly the mental disorder zoochosis”.
She said such behaviour calls for a professional assessment of the elephants’ psychological health, Berita Harian reported today.
Her group has had two staff at Tennoji Zoo since April, recording the elephants’ behaviour daily.
Siti Rabiah also raised concerns over Kelat, who is reported to have gone into musth six to seven times in the seven months since he arrived.
Musth is when a mature male elephant’s hormones go into overdrive, which can make him moody, aggressive and hard to handle.
Siti Rabiah said Oxford University elephant expert William Keith Lindsay told her bull elephants typically experience musth once or twice a year, making the reported frequency worth scientific scrutiny.
Lindsay, who also backs bringing the elephants home, is reported to have prepared three comprehensive reports urging their immediate return to Malaysia.
Siti Rabiah said Kelat’s long separation from Dara and Amoi adds to the worry, and she called for an independent veterinary assessment and close monitoring of him.
Taiping Municipal Council president Mohamed Akmal Dahalan declined to comment on the allegations when contacted, Berita Harian reported.
He said he could not respond personally and that the council would issue an official statement on the elephants’ latest condition when the time comes.
The Taiping council has previously rejected claims of neglect, saying in May that Kelat’s behavioural changes were linked to the natural musth phase and that all three elephants had gained weight.
In June, it said Kelat had been housed separately during musth for safety reasons and had since been reintroduced to Dara and Amoi.
In August, the council said the three elephants were healthy and active, and that Tennoji Zoo’s keepers and veterinarians were monitoring them regularly.
The elephants’ welfare has been a public issue since earlier this year, with Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup saying proposals to repatriate them deserve serious consideration.
His deputy, Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh, has said the process cannot be rushed, while the Taiping council has said repatriation would require clear evidence of a breach of the agreement’s welfare terms.