PETA WATCH

Pressure group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is now calling for a boycott of zoos in Malaysia using model Amber Chia as its celebrity carrot.

Zoo's play a critical role in educating people about the animal kingdom, conduct breeding programs for endangered species and routinely assist animals injured, abandoned and unprotected in the wild.

The lobby however claims animals in zoos are only used for human entertainment and are always unhappy.

Saleng Zoo caretaker J. Siva Priyan said the group’s claim that zoos only exploited animals for entertainment was untrue and unfair:

'At least in zoos, animals such as tigers and lions are safe from becoming victims of poachers. We take care of the animals and provide them with sufficient food and protection at all times,' he told The Malaysian Star yesterday.

He said representatives from Peta should have carried out a proper study on zoos before making allegations against them. 'In our zoo, we have 24 tigers. All of them are happy and, like all our other animals, are well taken care of,' he added.

PETA has been attacking Zoos for years, creating their most recent fracas at Edmonton Valley Zoo in Canada.