Taiping council denies Osaka zoo elephants abused, says head swaying and musth normal in captivity

The Taiping Municipal Council has refuted allegations that three Malaysian elephants transferred to Japan's Tennoji Zoo are being mistreated, stating they are healthy and acclimated to their environment.

MPT president Mohamed Akmal Dahalan explained that behaviors like head swaying are natural and not indicative of distress, reassuring that the zoo implements enrichment programs to ensure the elephants' welfare.

This relocation, part of a 25-year partnership between Taiping Zoo and Tennoji Zoo, has faced criticism from animal welfare advocates.

The MPT emphasizes that this exchange is a non-commercial arrangement and the elephants still belong to Taiping Zoo.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 — The Taiping Municipal Council (MPT) has rejected claims that the three Malaysian elephants sent to Japan’s Tennoji Zoo in Osaka are being abused or neglected, insisting the animals are healthy and have settled into their new surroundings.

Free Malaysia Today (FMT) reported MPT president Mohamed Akmal Dahalan as saying that Dara, Amoi and Kelat were reunited on September 20 after being kept apart for a period following their transfer, and now have free access to the whole enclosure.

He was responding to concerns raised on social media that the elephants were displaying behaviour such as head swaying, zoochosis and frequent musth episodes.

Mohamed Akmal said in a statement that such behaviour could not be directly attributed to stress, depression or neglect.

“Head swaying is also a typical behaviour when elephants anticipate food. On the other hand, the frequent episodes of musth experienced by Kelat is caused by the animal being fed highly nutritious food.

“Both behaviours are normal for elephants put under the care of zoos,” he was quoted as saying.

He added that Tennoji Zoo is running enrichment programmes to safeguard the animals’ wellbeing.

The elephants were sent to Osaka in March under a 25-year cooperation agreement between Taiping Zoo & Night Safari and Tennoji Zoo, a move that has drawn criticism from animal welfare groups and members of the public.

MPT has consistently maintained that the arrangement is a non-commercial, zoo-to-zoo programme and that the elephants remain the property of Taiping Zoo.

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太平市议会驳斥了有关三头被转移到日本天王寺动物园的马来西亚大象受到虐待的指控，称这些大象健康状况良好，已经适应了新的环境。

MPT总裁穆罕默德·阿克马尔·达哈兰解释说，摇头等行为是自然的，并不表示大象感到痛苦，并保证动物园实施了丰容计划，以确保大象的福利。

此次搬迁是太平动物园和天王寺动物园之间长达 25 年的合作关系的一部分，但遭到了动物福利倡导者的批评。

太平动物园强调，此次交换是非商业性安排，这些大象仍然属于太平动物园。

吉隆坡，10 月 23 日讯——太平市议会 (MPT) 驳斥了有关送往日本大阪天王寺动物园的三头马来西亚大象受到虐待或忽视的说法，坚称这些动物健康状况良好，并且已经适应了新的环境。

《今日自由马来西亚》（FMT）报道称，MPT总裁穆罕默德·阿克马尔·达哈兰表示，达拉、阿莫伊和克拉特在转移后被分开一段时间后，于9月20日重聚，现在可以自由出入整个围栏。

他回应了社交媒体上提出的担忧，即大象出现了摇头、动物传染病和频繁发情等行为。

穆罕默德·阿克马尔在一份声明中表示，这种行为不能直接归因于压力、抑郁或疏忽。

“摇头晃脑也是大象预期有食物时的典型行为。另一方面，凯拉特频繁的发情期是由于它被喂食了营养丰富的食物造成的。”

据报道，他表示：“对于被安置在动物园饲养的大象来说，这两种行为都是正常的。”

他还补充说，天王寺动物园正在开展动物福利项目，以保障动物的健康。

根据太平动物园和天王寺动物园之间为期 25 年的合作协议，这些大象于 3 月被送往大阪。此举引起了动物福利团体和公众的批评。

MPT一直坚持认为，这项安排是一项非商业性的动物园间项目，而且这些大象仍然是太平动物园的财产。

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