The deceased calf with its mother at Barcelona Zoo. Massimiliano Minocri
The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) is investigating the cause of death of Kanelo, a one-year-old orangutan, at the Catalan capital’s zoo. The animal organization Plataforma Zoo Female orangutans who remain in the municipal facility show “a low level of animal welfare”, which according to animal rights activists is “clearly observed in the baldness of the specimens”.
For his part, a spokesman for Barcelona Zoo regretted the death of the calf, assuring that the facility’s veterinary team noted on Monday that the animal was immobile in the enclosure and “when they entered the facility to examine it, they confirmed the death.” “. . “Previously, no abnormalities in the behavior of the calf had been found,” admits the spokesman for the municipal facility. Zoo veterinarians conducted preliminary investigations and determined that a “possible cause of death could be a respiratory problem”. However, different analyzes have been carried out and the UAB Faculty of Veterinary Medicine will be responsible for determining the cause of death “which can occur suddenly in young wild animals”.
The deceased animal is the son of the now 26-year-old orangutan Jawi, who was also born at Barcelona Zoo. The father is a man of the same age, Karl, who was born in Dublin. Before Kanelo’s death, there were seven endangered Bornean orangutans.
Lonardo Anselmi from the Zoo XXI platform denounces that for years the animal organization has questioned both the exchange of animals between zoos to reproduce endangered species and the conditions in which they live. In March of this year, they denounced that the orangutans “have endured the facility’s renovations for the past nine months.” Zoo XXI affirms that these works were a strain on the group of monkeys and that the deceased calf “knew only about the captivity, the noise of the works and the display to the public”.
Animal rights activists say hair loss in animals is “a dead giveaway that something is wrong.” Zoo XXI claims the clapping was due to “abnormal, self-inflicted behavior.” [si es en antebrazos y piernas] and produced by third parties [si es en cabeza o espalda]“. The zoo spokesman, for his part, assures that all specimens are “in the best of health”. Those responsible for the installation defend that during the work “the welfare of the orangutans was preserved and they can enjoy the courtyards”. They also defend that the fur coats are due to the fact that these animals “complement their fur until they are 5-7 years old.”
Rosi Carro, Scientific Coordinator of Zoo XXI, warns: “We will bring these facts to the attention of the authorities so that the reasons for the death of this calf can be clarified.” The impunity with which Barcelona Zoo acts and the abandonment of functions by the city council are intolerable.” Carro claims that at the facility where the orangutans are kept, presentation takes precedence over animal welfare. “We can no longer do anything for the calf and it is to be expected that this situation will cause great suffering to the mother and the other individuals,” complains the scientific coordinator. According to Zoo XXI, orangutans – like humans – maintain family ties with their young until they are seven years old. Animal rights activists are asking that the orangutans be moved to a “sanctuary” where they will not be exposed to the public. The UAB Faculty of Veterinary Medicine will be in charge of investigating the death of a one-year-old orangutan at Barcelona Zoo.
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