An image circulating online has sparked outrage. A woman at the Singapore Zoo was photographed feeding an endangered lemur a soft drink, reported the Straits Times.
Luckily, the lemur was unharmed by the drink; however, the visitor's actions still put the animal at risk.
"The zoo's animal care team has observed that she remains active, bright and alert, with a healthy appetite," stated the Straits Times. "She will continue to be monitored closely."
The woman in the photo appears to be petting the lemur on the head while holding out a soft drink for the animal to consume. Throughout the Fragile Forest biodome of the zoo, there are free-roaming animals, including the endangered red ruffed lemur.
However, this does not entitle visitors to touch, feed, or engage with the animals. Instead, the zoo's rules clearly prevent visitors from interacting with the wildlife in disrespectful and dangerous ways.
Due to hunting and habitat loss, the red ruffed lemur is classified as "critically endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. As a result, their protection is essential to the survival of their species.
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Incidents like this not only threaten the safety of the animals involved but also threaten the zoo as a whole. By touching and feeding the animal, this visitor's actions can lead other onlookers to believe it's not a problem to interact with the animals.
What's more, in some cases of visitors interacting with zoo animals, the animals have paid the price.
To ensure both visitors and animals remain safe, it's crucial to spread climate awareness and follow the rules when visiting a zoo or national park.
"Except in specific programmes which are managed by our animal care personnel, our park rules explicitly state that visitors are to refrain from touching and feeding the animals they encounter in the Mandai Wildlife Reserve's parks and public spaces," a spokesperson from the Mandai Wildlife Group told the Straits Times.
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