After ridiculously touting a golf course as the future of Penang, they want a tiger park in Penang.
PENANG, March 15 (Bernama) — The Penang government plans to open a tiger park at Relau Community Park aimed at attracting more tourists to the state.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the ecotourism project would only be implemented after considering views from non-governmental organisations (NGO) and the local community. [Penang Plans A Tiger Park At Relau. Bernama. March 15 2009]
If the project goes through, I would like to have the CM of Penang together with the tigers in the cage. Now, that would be real entertainment.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Nature Society responds to the proposal:
GEORGE TOWN: The Penang government has been advised to reconsider its intention to build an ambitious tiger park in the state.
Malaysian Nature Society Penang Branch chairman Kanda Kumar said setting up the park would not be right as Penang had no record of the animal’s existence.
”Most tourists would rather spend on heritage and food, not see animals in cages. Land-stressed Penang can do with more houses and recreational parks instead,” he said. [Rethink plan to build tiger park, Penang urged. Priscilla Dielenberg. The Star. March 17 2009]
I concur. I concur not because I am a member of MNS, but I concur because it is right.
Besides, it is exceedingly cruel to put tigers in cages or in small area. Tigers require large space to roam free. Have you been to the National Zoo near Kuala Lumpur to observe these large mammals behave in small enclosure?
It is a sad affair there. The situation is worse in Malacca Zoo for tigers though I am sure the management over there is trying hard to make do whatever they have to help those tigers, which are mostly captured from the wild after confrontation with humans.
What we need instead is a proper tiger sanctuary, not another zoo, tiger park, etc.
If the CM wants to promote tourism in Penang, he could do better by directing the money to clean up the dirty rivers of Penang.
