Senator seeks transfer of Manila Zoo to Masungi

MANILA, Philippines — Transfer the Manila Zoo to Masungi Georeserve in Rizal, a senator suggested over the weekend.

Sen. Francis Tolentino said that the transfer of the 65-year-old zoo from its current location in Malate, a highly urbanized district in Manila, to the geotourism site in Baras, Rizal would allow the animals in the zoo’s care to live under better conditions because they will be closer to their natural habitat.

“It would be better if the cared for animals can be given a space where they can live in the right place and climate,” Tolentino told Ann Adeling Dumaliang, co-founder of the Masungi Georeserve Foundation, on the senator’s radio program on dzRH.

The senator said that the country can look to best practices in developing and protecting the Masungi Georeserve. He cited the San Diego National Park in the United States, where the world-famous San Diego Zoo is located.

He noted that in the zoo’s six-hectare site, the animals are kept in small enclosures and are exposed to urban noise, heat and pollution.

“It’s only small so our giraffes are having a hard time... our elephant actually died... the cement is hot. Because the city is not the natural habitat of the animals I mentioned, where it is hot, noisy, and smoky,” said Tolentino, who advocated sustainable development and tourism when he was mayor of Tagaytay City and chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.

All the giraffes in the zoo have died.

Dumaliang welcomed Tolentino’s idea, saying that animal protection and similar activities can be accommodated in a larger master plan for the georeserve.

“When an area is a geopark, it does not mean that everything is strictly protected... there are also aspects of sustainable development,” she said, noting that all the different activities can be synchronized to reveal the character of the location.

“What you mentioned is a good recommendation. It can also contribute a lot to environmental education,” she added.

Tolentino cited the transfer of Manila Boys Town also to the province of Rizal. The institution remains under the management of the Manila city government.

“So the name ‘Manila Zoo’ can be retained,” he stressed.