On August 18, after a long time of "living in misery" with chains at Hanoi Zoo, two elephants were free to roam around the enclosure. The opinions of Animals Asia as well as public opinion helped "untie" the two elephants and help them return closer to nature.
Mr. Le Si Dung, General Director of Hanoi Zoo One Member Co., Ltd. (Thu Le Park) said that after replacing the broken fence in the elephant cage, since yesterday (August 17), the two elephants Banang and Thai have had their leg chains removed.
"We have purchased a new electric fence device to replace the old one that was broken. Previously, because this fence was broken, the zoo had to temporarily chain the elephants' legs to ensure the safety of both the elephants and the caretakers. In principle, the electric fence will numb the elephants and keep them away from the fence," said Mr. Dung.
The leader of Hanoi Zoo revealed that after nearly 2 days of being unchained, through monitoring, the two elephants at the zoo adapted very quickly because they were used to the living space here. Even when they approached the fence, standing next to each other, they did not conflict or cause aggression.
Previously, two elephants were tied to their feet with a 3-5 meter long chain and were only allowed to move within a certain area.
The elephants’ legs have many marks from being chained for a long time. The zoo management unit has purchased a new electric fence device, which is currently being tested. If the device works effectively, the two elephants will be able to be completely unchained.
The electric fence in the elephant care area has 4 wires, 2m high, with a total installation length of 180m, installed by Animals Asia staff, volunteers, and zoo staff to ensure the safety of elephants and visitors as well as allowing elephants to move freely in the semi-wild area.
This morning, many tourists visited the zoo after hearing the news that two elephants had been "released". Many people were happy that the zoo's management listened and created better living conditions for the elephants.
According to the mahouts, after being removed from their chains, the two elephants became more active and began to show natural behaviors such as scratching their legs and teasing the mahouts and visitors.
The mahout also shared that he had witnessed many times before when the elephants were normally fine, suddenly becoming aggressive. Therefore, after removing the chains, the mahouts were on duty 24/7 in the enclosure to take care of them and ensure that the two elephants did not conflict with each other.
Ms. Tran Hien (Ba Dinh district, Hanoi) shared that it had been 20 years since she returned to the zoo, so when she witnessed two elephants chained by their legs and not allowed to move freely, she could not help but feel heartbroken.
"My children love animals so much that when they saw the elephants chained like that, they asked me what to say. Luckily, the zoo leaders listened to public opinion and unchained the two elephants so they could be freer," Hien shared.
Many tourists took the opportunity to capture the moment the elephants were unchained and roaming freely in the enclosure. Many people still hold the view that elephants should be brought to nature reserves, not left in zoos like that.
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