Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden, commonly known as Manila Zoo (PNA file photo by Joan Bondoc)
MANILA – Senator Francis Tolentino may have received outdated information on the situation at the Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden, commonly known as Manila Zoo, a city government official said Wednesday.
In an interview, Manila Public Recreations Bureau chief Roland Marino, who oversees the zoo's operations, said it seemed that the lawmaker has never been to the zoo in recent years.
He also rebutted Tolentino's statement that animals, particularly giraffes, are not comfortable inside the zoo.
“Una, early 2000s pa po wala na po tayong giraffe. Pangalawa, napaka lawak na po ng ating mga enclosures and at par na sa mga international zoo ang ating Manila Zoo (First, we have no giraffes since the early 2000s. Second, our enclosures are wide and our Manila Zoo is now at par with international zoos),” Marino said.
He added that Mali, the Philippines' lone elephant in the zoo, reached its life span of 40 years to 45 years.
"Namatay po ang ating elepante sa old age at hindi po dahil sa kanyang enclosure (Our elephant died of old age and not because of its enclosure)," he added.
Marino explained that the Manila Zoo has a very diverse flora so that pollution in the area is never a factor or a problem.
Mayor Honey Lacuna and other city officials earlier rejected Tolentino's call to transfer the Manila Zoo to the Masungi Georeserve in Rizal, noting that such move is not part of the city government's plans for the zoo.
Lacuna maintained that the zoo is part of Manila's heritage and rich history and that the city wants its future to be a well-planned, realistic roadmap based on sound science and zoo management. (PNA)
