KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is continuing to move forward on new guidelines for the country's 45 zoo operators and said on Thursday that the new regulations would come into affect in August. The Natural Resources and Environment Minister Douglas Uggah Embas called on the operators to comply with the new regulations on the treatment of animals ahead of the enforcement date or they would face consequences, including the possibility of being shut down. He said the operators had been given a 6-month moratorium to upgrade their zoos to the standard set since the regulation was gazetted in February, this year. “All 45 zoos should comply. The wildlife department has already completed its audit on each zoo and notified them on what needs to be done. “New regulations will come into force and before the issuance of the license, the operators must meet the requirement. “The ministry is very firm on the decision (to enforce the guideline in August) to make sure it will be adhered to, in line with the Wildlife Conservation Act,” he told Bernama in an interview. Animal rights groups, fresh off a frustrating animal cruelty case in the country that saw a pet hotel pair get off with only a fine, have called on the government to ensure the enforcement of the new anti-cruelty laws. “It is extremely important for our community and society that the ministry makes certain that these new regulations are upheld and the zoo operators are punished if they don't abide by them,” said animal welfare activist Yara Ahmad in Kuala Lumpur. She told Bikyamasr.com that the animal rights community is “especially hopeful that these new regulations could assist in creating a better animal welfare in Malaysia.”
