Visit them at the Singapore Zoo.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Post-mortem on Singapore Zoo staff mauled to death by white Tigers
This is captured from Sammyboy forum, Possible reason why My favourite White Tiger mauled Zoo staff to death, A ONE off incident?
Sg Zoo Not Proactive But Retroactive
Dear ALL,
With the grisly death of the employee of the Singapore Zoo still very much the talk of the town, I like to state that the management of the Singapore Zoo has failed in its responsibility in looking after the welfare of their employees or those who work in their premises.
If Nordin Montong was indeed "mentally disturbed" then there would have been signs of this many days if not weeks prior to this fatal incident.
Had his supervisors, managers or immediate superiors noticed or bothered to notice then they should have ordered him to seek medical help and perhaps this incident could have been averted. Or at least he wouldn't have died being mauled by tigers.
Reacting to his actions after the fact only compounds the mal-management of human assets in the Singapore Zoo. All reports talk of how he is merely a contract worker and what sort of behaviour he exhibited, all done as if the distance themselves and avoid responsibility.
The point is that many people in organisations as large as the Singapore Zoo depend on contract workers, this is the reality of business today, but at what cost? There is distinct lack of responsibility and accountability towards the very people that work to bring prestige, fame and keep the place running for the organisation itself.
A life was needlessly lost and despite exhibiting all the telltale signs of mental problems, as SPH's ST so boldly states, but the question that goes abegging is why was he ignored?
Wasn't there anyone who could have intervened? Don't huge organisations like the Sg Zoo have meetings with its staff and don't supervisors and managers look out for potential problems among their staff?
Poor all round management and poor humanistics stands out, IMHO.
Personally, when I was a teenager, I used to volunteer at the zoo during school holidays. Bernard Harrison had been there for the longest time and he would talk to all employees at least once a week and he would sometimes call out people for 1 on 1 talks in his office if he sensed something amiss.
Especially when one of the primate keepers was all depressed when Pinky the orang utan died some weeks earlier.
Of course this was way back then when employees were all zoo staff and contract workers were unheard of.
No matter how one feels about Nordin Montong's nationality and the FT issue, one must have some sympathy. The basis of Singapore society has become such that "you die your business" has taken its toll once again. This time it's an FT next time another Sgean.
How many suicides are the result of this attitude? How many lives have been lost because the business model of Singapore leaves no room for personal intervention and interests before organisational. The simple simple answer is, because it makes no economic sense to do so.
There is something seriously wrong with regards to employer to employee relationships in Sg, and this I bet my very last inflation ravaged dollar that this is merely the tip of a collossal iceberg.
Cheers,
MentisMortis
Sg Zoo Not Proactive But Retroactive
Dear ALL,
With the grisly death of the employee of the Singapore Zoo still very much the talk of the town, I like to state that the management of the Singapore Zoo has failed in its responsibility in looking after the welfare of their employees or those who work in their premises.
If Nordin Montong was indeed "mentally disturbed" then there would have been signs of this many days if not weeks prior to this fatal incident.
Had his supervisors, managers or immediate superiors noticed or bothered to notice then they should have ordered him to seek medical help and perhaps this incident could have been averted. Or at least he wouldn't have died being mauled by tigers.
Reacting to his actions after the fact only compounds the mal-management of human assets in the Singapore Zoo. All reports talk of how he is merely a contract worker and what sort of behaviour he exhibited, all done as if the distance themselves and avoid responsibility.
The point is that many people in organisations as large as the Singapore Zoo depend on contract workers, this is the reality of business today, but at what cost? There is distinct lack of responsibility and accountability towards the very people that work to bring prestige, fame and keep the place running for the organisation itself.
A life was needlessly lost and despite exhibiting all the telltale signs of mental problems, as SPH's ST so boldly states, but the question that goes abegging is why was he ignored?
Wasn't there anyone who could have intervened? Don't huge organisations like the Sg Zoo have meetings with its staff and don't supervisors and managers look out for potential problems among their staff?
Poor all round management and poor humanistics stands out, IMHO.
Personally, when I was a teenager, I used to volunteer at the zoo during school holidays. Bernard Harrison had been there for the longest time and he would talk to all employees at least once a week and he would sometimes call out people for 1 on 1 talks in his office if he sensed something amiss.
Especially when one of the primate keepers was all depressed when Pinky the orang utan died some weeks earlier.
Of course this was way back then when employees were all zoo staff and contract workers were unheard of.
No matter how one feels about Nordin Montong's nationality and the FT issue, one must have some sympathy. The basis of Singapore society has become such that "you die your business" has taken its toll once again. This time it's an FT next time another Sgean.
How many suicides are the result of this attitude? How many lives have been lost because the business model of Singapore leaves no room for personal intervention and interests before organisational. The simple simple answer is, because it makes no economic sense to do so.
There is something seriously wrong with regards to employer to employee relationships in Sg, and this I bet my very last inflation ravaged dollar that this is merely the tip of a collossal iceberg.
Cheers,
MentisMortis
Monday, November 17, 2008
Tigers would have been shot if...
I will be very upset if those white tigers are hurt...
Cleaner Nordin Montong's fatal mauling by two white tigers at the Singapore Zoo raised questions about safety. Yesterday, Mr Biswajit Guha, the zoo's assisant director of zoology, and Ms Isabel Cheng, the director of sales, marketing and communications of Wildlife Reserves Singapore, addressed such concerns.
Q: Could the Zoo's licensed shooters have arrived sooner?
Mr Biswajit Guha: The shooters' weapons are stored in an armoury, and the shooters have to get the weapons and then go to the scene (the location of the armoury could not be disclosed for security reasons).
After collecting their weapons, the shooters arrived at the white tiger exhibit within five minutes.
But the tigers were already back in their dens by the time the shooters arrived.
If the tigers could not be lured back to their dens by then, the shooters would have shot and killed the animals.
Q: How far is the armoury from the white tiger enclosure?
Mr Guha: It is slightly less than 800m away. It can be reached within three minutes by running or buggy.
Q: What items are placed in the armoury?
Mr Guha: (Each armoury) contains our weapons and live rounds. The weapons are double-barrelled shotguns and 0.375calibre rifles.
Q: How many licensed shooters does the Zoo have and where are they positioned?
Mr Guha: We have a pool of 16licensed shooters between the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari.
As a standard operating procedure (SOP), upon collection of their arms, the designated officers will go to the front of the exhibit where the incident is takingplace.
Q: How many shooters were on duty and where were they positioned?
Mr Guha: At this time, we are not able to check how many out of our 16 licensed shooters were working on Nov 13. However, on any working day, a minimum of four licensed shooters are on duty.
On Nov 13, two licensed shooters were activated to collect their weapons. They then positioned themselves at the front of the white tiger exhibit.
Q: Witnesses said that they saw the keepers mainly throwing umbrellas and using a long pole to distract the tigers on Thursday. Could they have been better equipped?
Mr Guha: The keepers also used items from a nearby safety box to distract the tigers. All of the items and more were used to distract the tigets.
These included fire extinguishers, extensible poles, cymbals, loud hailers and clay balls.
Q: Can you tell us your standard operating procedures for handling the various dangerous animals, should a similar incident occur?
Mr Guha: These are confidential internal documents which we are unable to share with external parties.
Q: What happens to the tigers now?
Mr Guha: They are still being looked after and maintained by the Zoo. We have no plans to put them down.
The keepers have been told to keep an eye on them and we want to give them time to recover from the event.
But we are not having extra security measures for the tigers. We think that the white tiger exhibit should be back in action within less than a week.
The tigers are not dangerous to humans. They would not attack humans unless they were taunted, or they thought the humans were prey
Q: Did Mr Nordin have any history of mental illness?
Mr Guha: As far as we know, he was all right when he reported for work on Thursday morning. He was hardworking and there was no indication that he had any mental problems when he was working in the Zoo.
Q: Will the Zoo be reviewing the safety features in the white tiger exhibit and its other dangerous animal enclosures?
Mr Guha: We are looking into the possibility of installing alarm buttons, like those activated by pressing or breaking a glass, near the enclosures so that visitors and/or keepers can raise an alarm more quickly if something happens at these places.
We will increase the frequency of patrols by our keepers and ground staff, especially during lunch time.
The Zoo has 50 keepers and 30 ground staff walking or cycling around its premises daily.
Ms Cheng: The white tiger exhibit is very safe. We have safety features to guard against someone who accidentally falls in the enclosure, like a planter bed below the railing and cable wires that the person can roll onto to prevent him falling into the moat.
In addition, fences on the left and right wings of the exhibit measure 8.5m, inclusive of the water moat wall. The exhibit is permanently surrounded by a water moat 10m wide from the shore to the overhang at the visitors' bridge, and 8.5m from the rock platform to the overhang at the visitors' bridge.
At its deepest, the water is 1.75m deep in the moat.
These enclosure measurements conform to international safety guidelines imposed by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Our lion and polar bear exhibits are also well-protected. But we cannot completely secure against someone who intentionally enters the enclosure.
The incident on Thursday was such a case.
Cleaner Nordin Montong's fatal mauling by two white tigers at the Singapore Zoo raised questions about safety. Yesterday, Mr Biswajit Guha, the zoo's assisant director of zoology, and Ms Isabel Cheng, the director of sales, marketing and communications of Wildlife Reserves Singapore, addressed such concerns.
Q: Could the Zoo's licensed shooters have arrived sooner?
Mr Biswajit Guha: The shooters' weapons are stored in an armoury, and the shooters have to get the weapons and then go to the scene (the location of the armoury could not be disclosed for security reasons).
After collecting their weapons, the shooters arrived at the white tiger exhibit within five minutes.
But the tigers were already back in their dens by the time the shooters arrived.
If the tigers could not be lured back to their dens by then, the shooters would have shot and killed the animals.
Q: How far is the armoury from the white tiger enclosure?
Mr Guha: It is slightly less than 800m away. It can be reached within three minutes by running or buggy.
Q: What items are placed in the armoury?
Mr Guha: (Each armoury) contains our weapons and live rounds. The weapons are double-barrelled shotguns and 0.375calibre rifles.
Q: How many licensed shooters does the Zoo have and where are they positioned?
Mr Guha: We have a pool of 16licensed shooters between the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari.
As a standard operating procedure (SOP), upon collection of their arms, the designated officers will go to the front of the exhibit where the incident is takingplace.
Q: How many shooters were on duty and where were they positioned?
Mr Guha: At this time, we are not able to check how many out of our 16 licensed shooters were working on Nov 13. However, on any working day, a minimum of four licensed shooters are on duty.
On Nov 13, two licensed shooters were activated to collect their weapons. They then positioned themselves at the front of the white tiger exhibit.
Q: Witnesses said that they saw the keepers mainly throwing umbrellas and using a long pole to distract the tigers on Thursday. Could they have been better equipped?
Mr Guha: The keepers also used items from a nearby safety box to distract the tigers. All of the items and more were used to distract the tigets.
These included fire extinguishers, extensible poles, cymbals, loud hailers and clay balls.
Q: Can you tell us your standard operating procedures for handling the various dangerous animals, should a similar incident occur?
Mr Guha: These are confidential internal documents which we are unable to share with external parties.
Q: What happens to the tigers now?
Mr Guha: They are still being looked after and maintained by the Zoo. We have no plans to put them down.
The keepers have been told to keep an eye on them and we want to give them time to recover from the event.
But we are not having extra security measures for the tigers. We think that the white tiger exhibit should be back in action within less than a week.
The tigers are not dangerous to humans. They would not attack humans unless they were taunted, or they thought the humans were prey
Q: Did Mr Nordin have any history of mental illness?
Mr Guha: As far as we know, he was all right when he reported for work on Thursday morning. He was hardworking and there was no indication that he had any mental problems when he was working in the Zoo.
Q: Will the Zoo be reviewing the safety features in the white tiger exhibit and its other dangerous animal enclosures?
Mr Guha: We are looking into the possibility of installing alarm buttons, like those activated by pressing or breaking a glass, near the enclosures so that visitors and/or keepers can raise an alarm more quickly if something happens at these places.
We will increase the frequency of patrols by our keepers and ground staff, especially during lunch time.
The Zoo has 50 keepers and 30 ground staff walking or cycling around its premises daily.
Ms Cheng: The white tiger exhibit is very safe. We have safety features to guard against someone who accidentally falls in the enclosure, like a planter bed below the railing and cable wires that the person can roll onto to prevent him falling into the moat.
In addition, fences on the left and right wings of the exhibit measure 8.5m, inclusive of the water moat wall. The exhibit is permanently surrounded by a water moat 10m wide from the shore to the overhang at the visitors' bridge, and 8.5m from the rock platform to the overhang at the visitors' bridge.
At its deepest, the water is 1.75m deep in the moat.
These enclosure measurements conform to international safety guidelines imposed by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Our lion and polar bear exhibits are also well-protected. But we cannot completely secure against someone who intentionally enters the enclosure.
The incident on Thursday was such a case.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Continue to Visit the Singapore Zoo
Please continue to visit the Singapore Zoo, nothing have changed except that its star inhabitants - the three white tigers - were nowhere in sight.
A red sign hanging on a wooden gate, which barred access to the viewing gallery of the white tiger enclosure, bore the words 'Exhibit closed. Any inconvenience is regretted'.
It was a stark contrast to the scene only the day before in which horrified visitors screamed and watched helplessly from the viewing gallery as a cleaner who had jumped into the enclosure was mauled to death by the tigers.
The temporary closure of the exhibit was for investigation purposes and to allow the tigers to settle down following the incident, zoo officials said.
But that did not stop local and foreign visitors from stopping by the enclosure of one of the Singapore Zoo's key attractions yesterday.
Some were there hoping to view the extremely rare tigers, others out of curiosity to see for themselves where the incident had taken place. A number were disappointed tourists who were there specifically to see the white tigers.
Though the viewing gallery was closed, the enclosure area was still clearly visible from the sides.
Polytechnic student Gillian Chan, 19, wanted to check how the tigers, her favourite zoo exhibit, were doing after she heard about the incident.
'I am very concerned about the tigers and I hope they won't be put to sleep because it wasn't their fault,' Miss Chan, who visits the zoo almost yearly to see the white tigers, said.
Miss Jolin Chew, 25, a sales co-ordinator, and her friend, Miss Ng Li Xin, 25, a share registrar, had taken leave to visit the zoo.
They had planned their visit a few weeks before and yesterday's incident did not put them off. They headed for the white tiger exhibit first, hoping to see them.
Disappointed
Miss Ng said: 'I don't think the zoo is unsafe just because of the incident as the man jumped into the enclosure on his own.'
One Malaysian family was disappointed.
Mr Lee Hon Leong, 38, who arrived in Singapore with his family yesterday, said: 'We had come all the way from Kuala Lumpur because the white tigers are very rare.'
His crestfallen daughter, 13, and son, 9, had been excited about seeing the tigers.
'Perhaps we will drop by again after six months so that we can see the tigers,' Mr Lee said.
Several tourists from Australia were also disappointed at the closure.
Mrs Leanne Stummer, 40, and her husband were at the zoo for the first time with the main purpose of viewing the tigers because of their rarity.
'We read online that it was one of the main attractions of the zoo here and wanted to see them,' she said.
Although disappointed, she was sympathetic about the tragedy.
'People need to remember that these are wild animals,' she added.
Mr Mike Barnett, 57, and his wife, while disappointed, also understood why the enclosure had to be closed.
'The tigers need time and quiet to settle down after what happened,' he said.
A woman was seen gesturing and discussing in Mandarin with friends how the cleaner could have climbed into the enclosure. She declined to be interviewed.
The zoo opened the Rainforest Kidzworld, a new exhibit targeted at children, yesterday afternoon.
Ms Isabel Cheng, director of sales, marketing and communications, Wildlife Reserves Singapore, said it was not possible to reschedule the event at such late notice.
She said that Thursday's incident was an isolated case.
'The safety of our visitors and employees were not compromised, thus we decided to proceed with the grand opening,' she added.
Groups of kindergarten children trooped past the white tiger enclosure led by their teachers on their way to the Rainforest Kidzworld. Some stopped to look before moving on.
Teacher Chew May Ling, 31, said: 'We had hoped the children could see the tigers, but they are too young to know what happened. We are just here for the opening of Kidzworld.'
A red sign hanging on a wooden gate, which barred access to the viewing gallery of the white tiger enclosure, bore the words 'Exhibit closed. Any inconvenience is regretted'.
It was a stark contrast to the scene only the day before in which horrified visitors screamed and watched helplessly from the viewing gallery as a cleaner who had jumped into the enclosure was mauled to death by the tigers.
The temporary closure of the exhibit was for investigation purposes and to allow the tigers to settle down following the incident, zoo officials said.
But that did not stop local and foreign visitors from stopping by the enclosure of one of the Singapore Zoo's key attractions yesterday.
Some were there hoping to view the extremely rare tigers, others out of curiosity to see for themselves where the incident had taken place. A number were disappointed tourists who were there specifically to see the white tigers.
Though the viewing gallery was closed, the enclosure area was still clearly visible from the sides.
Polytechnic student Gillian Chan, 19, wanted to check how the tigers, her favourite zoo exhibit, were doing after she heard about the incident.
'I am very concerned about the tigers and I hope they won't be put to sleep because it wasn't their fault,' Miss Chan, who visits the zoo almost yearly to see the white tigers, said.
Miss Jolin Chew, 25, a sales co-ordinator, and her friend, Miss Ng Li Xin, 25, a share registrar, had taken leave to visit the zoo.
They had planned their visit a few weeks before and yesterday's incident did not put them off. They headed for the white tiger exhibit first, hoping to see them.
Disappointed
Miss Ng said: 'I don't think the zoo is unsafe just because of the incident as the man jumped into the enclosure on his own.'
One Malaysian family was disappointed.
Mr Lee Hon Leong, 38, who arrived in Singapore with his family yesterday, said: 'We had come all the way from Kuala Lumpur because the white tigers are very rare.'
His crestfallen daughter, 13, and son, 9, had been excited about seeing the tigers.
'Perhaps we will drop by again after six months so that we can see the tigers,' Mr Lee said.
Several tourists from Australia were also disappointed at the closure.
Mrs Leanne Stummer, 40, and her husband were at the zoo for the first time with the main purpose of viewing the tigers because of their rarity.
'We read online that it was one of the main attractions of the zoo here and wanted to see them,' she said.
Although disappointed, she was sympathetic about the tragedy.
'People need to remember that these are wild animals,' she added.
Mr Mike Barnett, 57, and his wife, while disappointed, also understood why the enclosure had to be closed.
'The tigers need time and quiet to settle down after what happened,' he said.
A woman was seen gesturing and discussing in Mandarin with friends how the cleaner could have climbed into the enclosure. She declined to be interviewed.
The zoo opened the Rainforest Kidzworld, a new exhibit targeted at children, yesterday afternoon.
Ms Isabel Cheng, director of sales, marketing and communications, Wildlife Reserves Singapore, said it was not possible to reschedule the event at such late notice.
She said that Thursday's incident was an isolated case.
'The safety of our visitors and employees were not compromised, thus we decided to proceed with the grand opening,' she added.
Groups of kindergarten children trooped past the white tiger enclosure led by their teachers on their way to the Rainforest Kidzworld. Some stopped to look before moving on.
Teacher Chew May Ling, 31, said: 'We had hoped the children could see the tigers, but they are too young to know what happened. We are just here for the opening of Kidzworld.'
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Singapore Zoo Business as usual
A day after a cleaner was mauled to death at the Singapore Zoo’s white tiger enclosure, officials assured the public that the exhibit is "very safe".
It held a news conference on Friday to clear any doubts even as it opened its latest S$12 million attraction.
Business was as usual at the Singapore. Visitors streamed in to view the latest attraction called the Rainforest Kidzworld which opened in time for the school holidays.
Gracing the launch was executive director and CEO of Temasek Holdings, Ms Ho Ching.
She said: "The zoo has deepened its own knowledge and expertise through the years. I have full respect for the team at the WildLife Reserves for their hard work, passion and constant care. It is amazing how their dedication and imagination have created a natural and safe wildlife habitat only half an hour away from the city lights."
The chairman of Wildlife Reserves, which owns the zoo, took the opportunity to speak on the incident.
Claire Chiang, non—executive chairman, Wildlife Reserves, said: "Let me take a few minutes to address the unfortunate incident at the white tiger exhibit yesterday. Our sympathies and condolences go to Mr Nordin Bin Montong’s family. I would like to reassure all visitors that the white tiger exhibit is very safe and is as safe as any part of the zoo.
The safety measures we have implemented exceed the standards recommended by the association of zoos and aquariums (AZA). AZA is the internationally recognised organisation that accredits only institutions that have achieved rigorous standards for animal care, education, wildlife conservation and science."
Visitors too, didn’t seem too concerned about safety.
Aaron Tan, a visitor, said: "The enclosure is actually quite safe as long as you don’t go close into the enclosure itself. So I can still bring my kid here."
At a news conference later, zoo officials addressed other concerns raised, including the five—minute response time it took the sharpshooters to reach the scene.
Biswajit Guha, assistant director, Singapore Zoo, said: "The five—minute situation is essentially sufficient to go to a hotspot in the case of an animal escape. This was an extraordinary situation whereby someone had actually jumped in.
“Even if it had been a fall and the person was trying very hard to avoid the tigers and had gone to the deep end, we are quite confident he would have been able to move in, in time."
He added that firing tranquilisers would not have saved the cleaner as it could have further provoked the animals.
He added: "Tranquilisers don’t work instantaneously. So it will take about five minutes before having an impact on the animal. And to have such a sharp impact coming into contact with an animal, it could provoke the animal more and there might be a more drastic reaction."
Meanwhile, the Singapore Zoo said it will not be stationing armed officers at the enclosures which are deemed dangerous. But it will definitely be increasing its patrols conducted by the zoo’s keepers and operational staff.
Staff who witnessed the incident or need counselling will also be taken care of.
The zoo hopes to re—open the white tiger attraction within the next few days.
It held a news conference on Friday to clear any doubts even as it opened its latest S$12 million attraction.
Business was as usual at the Singapore. Visitors streamed in to view the latest attraction called the Rainforest Kidzworld which opened in time for the school holidays.
Gracing the launch was executive director and CEO of Temasek Holdings, Ms Ho Ching.
She said: "The zoo has deepened its own knowledge and expertise through the years. I have full respect for the team at the WildLife Reserves for their hard work, passion and constant care. It is amazing how their dedication and imagination have created a natural and safe wildlife habitat only half an hour away from the city lights."
The chairman of Wildlife Reserves, which owns the zoo, took the opportunity to speak on the incident.
Claire Chiang, non—executive chairman, Wildlife Reserves, said: "Let me take a few minutes to address the unfortunate incident at the white tiger exhibit yesterday. Our sympathies and condolences go to Mr Nordin Bin Montong’s family. I would like to reassure all visitors that the white tiger exhibit is very safe and is as safe as any part of the zoo.
The safety measures we have implemented exceed the standards recommended by the association of zoos and aquariums (AZA). AZA is the internationally recognised organisation that accredits only institutions that have achieved rigorous standards for animal care, education, wildlife conservation and science."
Visitors too, didn’t seem too concerned about safety.
Aaron Tan, a visitor, said: "The enclosure is actually quite safe as long as you don’t go close into the enclosure itself. So I can still bring my kid here."
At a news conference later, zoo officials addressed other concerns raised, including the five—minute response time it took the sharpshooters to reach the scene.
Biswajit Guha, assistant director, Singapore Zoo, said: "The five—minute situation is essentially sufficient to go to a hotspot in the case of an animal escape. This was an extraordinary situation whereby someone had actually jumped in.
“Even if it had been a fall and the person was trying very hard to avoid the tigers and had gone to the deep end, we are quite confident he would have been able to move in, in time."
He added that firing tranquilisers would not have saved the cleaner as it could have further provoked the animals.
He added: "Tranquilisers don’t work instantaneously. So it will take about five minutes before having an impact on the animal. And to have such a sharp impact coming into contact with an animal, it could provoke the animal more and there might be a more drastic reaction."
Meanwhile, the Singapore Zoo said it will not be stationing armed officers at the enclosures which are deemed dangerous. But it will definitely be increasing its patrols conducted by the zoo’s keepers and operational staff.
Staff who witnessed the incident or need counselling will also be taken care of.
The zoo hopes to re—open the white tiger attraction within the next few days.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Speeding elephant too much for comfort!
'A zoo employee rang his bell frantically to warn visitors to flee from the elephant's path.'
MR TAN JUAN YEW: 'My family and I visited the Singapore Zoo last Saturday. As we rested in a shelter, we saw an elephant speed past. A zoo employee riding a bicycle beside it rang his bell frantically to visitors to flee from the elephant's path. We broke into a cold sweat when we saw a pram in the middle of its path. Fortunately, the father quickly pushed it aside just before the elephant ran past. Later, we found out that the pram was empty as the baby was with its mother. Still, it was dangerous, especially for children and the elderly who may not be able to react in time.'
The Singapore Zoo will look into this problem!
MR TAN JUAN YEW: 'My family and I visited the Singapore Zoo last Saturday. As we rested in a shelter, we saw an elephant speed past. A zoo employee riding a bicycle beside it rang his bell frantically to visitors to flee from the elephant's path. We broke into a cold sweat when we saw a pram in the middle of its path. Fortunately, the father quickly pushed it aside just before the elephant ran past. Later, we found out that the pram was empty as the baby was with its mother. Still, it was dangerous, especially for children and the elderly who may not be able to react in time.'
The Singapore Zoo will look into this problem!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Singapore Zoo claim first Human tragedy
SINGAPORE, Nov 13, 2008 (AFP) - An apparently disturbed worker was mauled to death by three tigers at the Singapore Zoo on Thursday when he deliberately jumped into their enclosure, the zoo said.
The white tigers pounced on the 32-year-old contract cleaner after he jumped into the moat surrounding their enclosure and then moved toward the animals, the zoo said in a statement.
The zoo, one of Singapore's most prominent tourist attractions, described the victim as "apparently disturbed and agitated".
Fellow workers reported that he "was acting a little bit erratic and odd, throwing papers around" before the incident, assistant director of zoology Biswajit Guha told Singapore's 938Live radio.
Guha said the cleaner worked at the chimpanzee area and was on his lunch break when the tragedy occurred.
"Goodbye, I won't be seeing you again," Guha quoted the victim as telling one of the zookeepers.
"And they saw him riding off on a bicycle and coming back in through the front entrance again, and then about five minutes later, the whole alert came on the walkie talkie," he said.
Horrified visitors screamed as zookeepers rushed into the tiger enclosure to try to rescue the victim.
They threw rocks to try to distract the animals, which dragged their victim toward a passageway, said Guha.
Zoo workers finally succeeded in luring the tigers away from the man and confining them to their pens, but paramedics later pronounced him dead.
The victim had injuries mainly to his head and neck, Lieutenant Colonel N. Subhas, the director of public affairs with the Singapore Civil Defence Force, told AFP.
The zoo identified the dead man as Nordin Bin Montong, a zoo contract worker from Malaysia.
"At no time was any visitor or Singapore Zoo staff exposed to any danger," the zoo said.
Police said they were called to the zoo about 12:30 pm (0430 GMT) and were investigating the "unnatural" death.
The zoo said the moat and other permanent safety features at the enclosure meant there was no risk to visitors or staff.
"Nonetheless, we have temporarily closed the White Tiger exhibit to visitors to facilitate investigations into this unfortunate incident," it said.
The white tigers pounced on the 32-year-old contract cleaner after he jumped into the moat surrounding their enclosure and then moved toward the animals, the zoo said in a statement.
The zoo, one of Singapore's most prominent tourist attractions, described the victim as "apparently disturbed and agitated".
Fellow workers reported that he "was acting a little bit erratic and odd, throwing papers around" before the incident, assistant director of zoology Biswajit Guha told Singapore's 938Live radio.
Guha said the cleaner worked at the chimpanzee area and was on his lunch break when the tragedy occurred.
"Goodbye, I won't be seeing you again," Guha quoted the victim as telling one of the zookeepers.
"And they saw him riding off on a bicycle and coming back in through the front entrance again, and then about five minutes later, the whole alert came on the walkie talkie," he said.
Horrified visitors screamed as zookeepers rushed into the tiger enclosure to try to rescue the victim.
They threw rocks to try to distract the animals, which dragged their victim toward a passageway, said Guha.
Zoo workers finally succeeded in luring the tigers away from the man and confining them to their pens, but paramedics later pronounced him dead.
The victim had injuries mainly to his head and neck, Lieutenant Colonel N. Subhas, the director of public affairs with the Singapore Civil Defence Force, told AFP.
The zoo identified the dead man as Nordin Bin Montong, a zoo contract worker from Malaysia.
"At no time was any visitor or Singapore Zoo staff exposed to any danger," the zoo said.
Police said they were called to the zoo about 12:30 pm (0430 GMT) and were investigating the "unnatural" death.
The zoo said the moat and other permanent safety features at the enclosure meant there was no risk to visitors or staff.
"Nonetheless, we have temporarily closed the White Tiger exhibit to visitors to facilitate investigations into this unfortunate incident," it said.
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