People visiting zoos need to be aware that they are entering the habitats of wild animals so they must be prepared in case the animals show unusual or unexpected behavior.
Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno made the remarks during the “Weekly Brief with Sandi Uno,” which was hosted here on Monday.
“We need to do adjustment because we are visiting their habitat. So, information needs to be extensively given on how to act should we encounter such situation,” the minister said.
He made the appeal following an incident at Prigen Zoo, East Java, in which two fighting lions struck the back of a visitor’s car.
The minister said that the incident was not out of the ordinary and would not negatively impact or compromise the number of visits to conservation-based vacation sites, such as the newly established zoo in Central Java, the Solo Safari.
The incident, which became a topic among netizens, occurred on February 11, 2023. According to reports, two fighting lions dashed toward a visitor’s car inside Prigen Safari Park in East Java during a chase, hitting its back and leaving a dent.
Following the incident, Taman Safari Indonesia Cisarua, Bogor district, West Java, issued a warning to visitors asking them not to stop their vehicles in the vicinity of wild animals.
“Vehicles may not stop when entering the domain of wild animals because the animals in the Safari Park are allowed to behave and roam freely,” the general manager of Taman Safari Indonesia, Emeraldo Parengkuan, said in a statement on Monday.
Source: Antara News