“Zoos that fail to adhere to newly enforced regulations under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 will be closed down, said Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Douglas Uggah Embas,” The Sun Daily reports.

The Wildlife Conservation (Operation of Zoo) Regulations 2012 which came into force this month (August 2012) will see the ministry conducting meetings with zoo operators and associations throughout the country.

The Wildlife Conservation Act, which came into force in December 2010, provided wider jurisdiction in the protection of wildlife, but the guidelines for zoos and animal parks were only gazetted in February. Zoo operators were then given six months to upgrade their zoos and meet the guidelines set or face possible closure.

Among the new guidelines in the Wildlife Conservation Act is that all zoos must have a valid license to operate a zoo. Any person found operating a zoo without a license will face a fine of not more than RM70, 000, or jail term not exceeding three years, or both. Zoos will also have to adhere to minimum cage sizes agreed upon by animal groups, and have a quarantine area and a veterinary clinic or hospital with a full-time consultant veterinarian. Zoo operators will also have to provide vaccination to animals, supply nutritious and adequate food, maintain cleanliness, keep a proper record of the animals and their health, perform euthanasia when necessary, conduct wildlife shows involving the animals natural behavior only and submit a deposit to the Wildlife Department for the upkeep of animals in the event of seizure.

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