HUNDREDS of people have pledged their support for Opal the orangutan, who is allegedly being kept in ‘desolate and isolated’ captivity at the Natal Zoological Gardens outside Pietermaritzburg.
The animal lovers are set to descend on the facility, owned by Brian Boswell, in a peaceful protest on Saturday morning, calling for the primate to be released into a sanctuary.
A Facebook group, Free Opal and All Of Her Friends From The Boswell Zoo, was started last month to rally support. Of the thousands of individuals invited, 227 have vowed to attend.
One of these individuals is Durban North resident, Jeannette van Vuuren.
“We are appealing to the public to spend two hours of their day supporting Opal and the other animals at the zoo, which are being kept in appalling conditions,” she said.
Outrage over Opal’s alleged neglect was sparked by a recent statement issued by Kloof & Highway SPCA inspector, Cheri Cooke. In the statement, she referred to Opal’s situation as ‘a caged tragedy’.
According to Cooke, who has been assessing the health and well-being of the animals at the zoo for several years, the 36-year-old orangutan faces a life of ‘barren confinement’.
“My personal reactions to my visits to see Opal and the other caged animals in this establishment are frustration, outrage, heartache and anger. From what we have been told, Opal did have a mate and a male baby, which died of tuberculosis. She has known the companionship of her own kind. She has loved and nurtured a baby. Now her empty eyes see only humans who stare, laugh and point fingers at her,” she said
“Each day she is released from her sleeping cage into her daytime cell. There, on a meagre patch of grass with a makeshift ‘jungle gym’ of poles, she spends every day of her life. Alone,” she said.
The protest is scheduled for Saturday, 6 February form 10.30am to 12.30pm at the Natal Zoological Gardens.
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