Bears in Hellhole Zoo Filmed Begging for Food, Eating Feces
Indonesia’s Bandung Zoo is again under fire after shocking video footage allegedly captured inside the facility surfaced showing underweight captive sun bears—their ribs protruding—begging tourists for food. Monitored for months, hungry bears forced to live in the same exhibit have even been filmed eating their own feces, possibly because of a lack of proper sustenance.
Bandung Zoo has a long, sordid history of animal abuse, and hundreds of the animals it imprisons are known to suffer from physical and mental health problems. Last year, Yani, a neglected Sumatran elephant, died at the zoo after she was left lying on the hard ground without veterinary care for more than a week.
The Indonesian government must stop turning a blind eye and shut down this hellhole. PETA urges everyone who opposes cruelty to stay well away from facilities that rob animals of meaningful lives and lock them up, condemning them to despair for the sake of an archaic and inhumane form of entertainment.
Take a Stand for Exploited Animals
Whether you’re at home or on a trip to the other side of the world, it’s important—and possible—to make compassionate, conscientious choices to prevent animal suffering. Did you know that an estimated half-million exotic animals are enslaved worldwide in the tourism industry? From selfies with tigers to elephant rides, these activities may be hurting living beings more than you know. If you’re planning a vacation to Indonesia (or any other country), make sure that the activities you participate in don’t involve captive wild animals.
Vote with your feet. Stay away from all tawdry, run-down roadside attractions that profit from the misery of animals. Just like the underweight sun bears seen in the video above, bears kept right here in the United States are locked in barren concrete pits and forced to beg tourists for food.
