Why zoos should house more rare land animals

I refer to the report “Rare Asian birds at Jurong Bird Park’s Wings of Asia aviary” (Jan 21, online). The announcement was an exciting and refreshing one. However, more can be done to further the good cause.

Extinction is more probable for terrestrial species, because of lack of habitat and limited land, than for birds, which can survive better because they live in a borderless world, able to look for similar habitats in different continents and countries.

Terrestrial species are confined to restricted spaces where they can live and survive.

Animals in our region that deserve greater attention for long-term captivity and study include the Javan rhinoceros, the world’s rarest large mammal; the Sumatran rhinoceros, another imperilled species; and the Borneo pygmy elephant, the most endangered elephant in modern times.

The Singapore Zoo holds in captivity the African rhinoceros, which is a cousin of the Javan and Sumatran rhinos, but is less rare.

Since Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) has the support of Temasek Holdings and the Singapore Tourism Board, it should initiate and spearhead a committee to decide which rare terrestrial animal to house in our zoo for future generations to enjoy.

If more zoos in the world are able to house rare animals, the chances of species going extinct would be minimised. It would be like putting many eggs in different baskets instead of putting all the eggs in one basket.

As there are many rare animals in the world, WRS may want to concentrate on species specific to Asia instead.

Let us take a small step in this direction.