A zoo in Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia,
has been caught abusing its animals. And the manner it's using to abuse them is absolutely outrageous.
Staff pull crocodiles by their tails out of the water during shows, proceeding to kick, hit, and climb on them. Then, the humans wrench these reptiles' mouths open to show off, only to be followed later by holding them down and literally
taping the crocodiles' mouths shut.
Some animals are put into costumes and fancy outfits and pushed in front of paying visitors in order to entertain them. Other captive wildlife are placed in photo op areas, where tourists can pay for a picture together. Elephants, tigers, and more are coerced and punished into performing circus tricks. But probably the most egregious offense of all is what the zoo does to its orangutans.
Orangutans are smart, social, self-aware creatures. They're some of human beings' closest relatives. But the zoo is making a mockery of all that by forcing these monkeys to pummel each other in boxing shows before hooting and hollering crowds.
Sign the petition to demand that the Cambodian authorities shut down this abusive zoo now!It might look silly or funny from the outside, but in reality, this type of treatment is exceedingly cruel. First, these animals are ripped away from their families — whether those parents, siblings, cousins, and children are in the wild, or were bred at another zoo facility and then transferred away. Then, they're placed in enclosures that are only a
tiny fraction of the size of orangutans' original habitats.
Finally, they're dressed up in human shorts and bandanas. Staff force actual boxing gloves onto both of their hands. And then they're pushed out into a boxing ring, where two monkeys must face off and fight each other. At the end, the crowd cheers.
Zoos are, in theory,
supposed to be about conservation and protecting endangered animals from extinction out in the wild. But this zoo clearly shows that premise is false. The only thing they're interested in is raking in the money, and exploiting their animals at every single term in order to eek out a few more dollars.
Some visitors have even observed visible wounds and evidence of maiming on the elephants and other animals, documenting their discoveries online.
There's only one thing left to do: shut down this flagrantly abusive zoo, and send each and every last one of its animals to a reputable non-profit sanctuary! End the horror, and let these beings live out the rest of their days in peace.