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Manila Zoo won't be closed down - Lim


Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim on Friday thumbed down calls by an animal rights group to shut down the Manila Zoo and free the animals being kept there. Lim called as unwarranted calls for the closure or boycott of the zoo, which the mayor said has catered to the public and been a city landmark for more than 40 years. He also assured that animals in the zoo are being treated well and that additional funds would be allocated to improve the facility. “Utmost care is being provided to these animals. They are not being neglected. In fact, we are feeding them well while we further improve the Manila Zoo," Lim said in Filipino. He added that the city of Manila takes pride in the zoo as being the first to be built in Asia, which he said also gives further reason to preserve the facility. The Manila Zoo, which opened in 1959, is located on 5.5 hectares of land along Adriatico Street in Manila. It houses some 500 animals from about 100 species. The Manila mayor’s statement came after the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) called for a boycott of the zoo and the immediate release of animals kept there. “The animals at the Manila Zoo are treated like prisoners, even though they've committed no crime. These animals are bred or captured for a lifetime of loneliness and misery, and the best way to help stop the suffering is to boycott the zoo," PETA said in statement. -GMANews.TV

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