- From: The Daily Telegraph
- October 06, 2012
These animals were undernourished and unhealthy / Pic: Zoo Teuk Chhou
Source: The Daily Telegraph
Dr Wayne McCallum / Pic: Zoo Teuk Chhou
Source: The Daily Telegraph
IT was the zoo from hell, a contender for the world's worst. The
tigers were fed rice and an elephant became so emaciated it could
squeeze between the bars of its cage.
But now, because a Sydney expatriate couple living in Cambodia and
their supporters decided to do something about it, the 134 animals of
the Teuk Chhou Zoo are beginning to thrive.
Rory and Melita
Hunter, who operate Cambodia's first island resort, learned about the
zoo's horrific conditions in a local Phnom Penh newspaper last year.
The
list of horrors was long. Street dogs would enter holes in the cages
and kill animals or steal their food. Animals were kept in pairs, so
they were forced to compete for the meagre food offerings. The weaker
animal starved.
Eagles were in cages so small they could not
stretch their wings. Many cages were open to the elements, exposing
animals to harsh tropical sun or torrential rain. The staff was a
handful of locals overwhelmed by the demands of 43 different species.
"It was such a heart-wrenching story," Rory said yesterday. "Mel and I
decided that we were in a unique position to try to do something."
That
"unique position" was the fact their island resort, with its emphasis
on the environment and local involvement, had generated global interest
in the beauty of Cambodia. The Cambodian government was thankful the
nation's tourism appeal could go beyond the traditional visit to the
famed temples of Angkor Wat.
In July last year the Hunters signed
a management agreement with the zoo's owner, His Excellency Nhim Vanda,
a four-star general and senior member of the Cambodia government, who
had been overwhelmed by the costs and complexities of running a zoo.
They dipped into their savings to bring food to the animals and repair the enclosures, spending up to $8000 a month.
Dr
Wayne McCallum, a Kiwi who works at the Hunters' Song Saa Private
Island as director of sustainability, was just as determined. He
organised a former colleague, Nick Marx from aid group Wildlife
Alliance, to join a team to transform the zoo.
Last week Nhim
Vanda signed an agreement handing management control and authority for
the zoo and its animals, including the land, to an organisation the
Hunters and Dr McCallum have set up called Footprints.
"It was a long and challenging process as we needed to build up a lot of trust," Rory, originally from the Blue Mountains, said.
Dr McCallum, now director of Footprints, said finding the funds to support Teuk Chhou was still a problem.
"There
have been long hours and difficult decisions spent alongside sick
animals, trying to work out how to pay for a particular treatment," he
said.
"However, there are now fewer sleepless nights."
Melita
Hunter is originally from Paddington and Teuk Chhou's management and
promotions adviser, Monique Counihan, is another NSW connection - she
used to work at Taronga Western Plains Zoo at Dubbo.
The Hunters and Dr McCallum want Teuk Chhou to show Cambodians their nation's stunning wildlife.
"More
than anything, what has captured our hearts are the number and beauty
of these animals who are native to Cambodia," Rory said.
2 comments:
This Manchot who has properties in many provinces(In Battambang he bought a minor wife)doesn't know how to to with his money. So he created his Own ZOOs in Prey Veng and Kampot for pleasure, beleaving it's very easy to raise the animals in his " Heaven prisons".
His Ignorance led to the mistreat- emnt and daehth of many of his prosoners.
The Land of the Reastaurant " NGAN" near the monument of Independance belong to this manchot. You konw how much the restaurant owner pay the rent: 10 Thousand Dollars per month.
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