Bears in Bandung zoo, Indonesia, filmed standing on hind legs to bed for food
Visitors throw crackers, cake and candy into the enclosure in order to help them.
The bears are surrounded by a cement pit with no visible food or clean water
Petition is trying to shame Ridwan Kamil, major of Bandung, into closing the zoo
Disturbing footage of skeletal sun bears pleading with visitors to feed them junk food at an Indonesian zoo has sparked fury online.
Visitors at Bandung zoo, on the island of Java, were filmed throwing cake, candy and crackers into the enclosure in a vain attempt to feed the starving animals.
Now an online petition is attempting to shame mayor Ridwan Kamil into closing the zoo for good.
Sun bears are being kept in shocking conditions in an Indonesian zoo, as footage shows the emaciated animals begging for scraps from tourists
Scorpion, a wildlife trade monitoring group, sent an investigator to the tourist attraction where they captured footage of starving bears standing on their hind legs and begging for snacks.
Gunung Gea, the director of Scorpion, told Daily Mail Australia: 'When my team visited the zoo last week there was no grass or live trees on the floor of their cage.
'We saw a sun bear eating its own dung but when we contacted the zoo's officers they told us the bear was medicated and we weren't allowed to see it.'
Animal activist Tori Hollingsworth was so outraged by the video she decided to create a petition - which has 12,000 signatures so far - demanding the zoo be shut.
She said: 'The bears are extremely thin and very hungry. Appalled visitors give them junk food to try and keep them alive.
'The video shows how the sun bears immediately go after small pieces of food that are tossed in their direction. They stand on their two feet and beg for more in a truly heartbreaking moment.
'These beautiful creatures should not be allowed to spend one more day at this terrible facility where they are forced to live between concrete walls, with no proper shelter and absolutely no food and water.
Furious viewers have now established a petition, which has amassed 12,000 signatures, attempting to shame mayor Ridwan Kamil into shutting the zoo down
'It is obvious that this zoo is not helping the animals. It is nothing short of a prison.'
Ms Hollingsworth ends the petition by asking the Major of Bandung to think of the thousands of children who visit the zoo.
She said: 'What will these kids think about this? I just can't help but wonder.'
Scorpion has pleaded with the Wildlife Authority in West Java (BKSDA) to investigate Bandung zoo, launching their own petition of 1,500 signatures to gain publicity for the helpless bears.
American Becky Koth signed Scorpion's online petition in support of closing the zoo.
'This is unacceptable. Why have a zoo where you just starve these bears? Let them go to a sanctuary to get healthy again and release them,' she wrote.
'They were better off without the so-called help of the humans running the zoo.'
Sandie Hawkins, from Australia, said: 'I cannot believe that people of today, in any country, can treat animals this way.
'If we consider ourselves to be the smartest species then we should care for these precious souls… I'm so angry.'
Bandung is Indonesia's third largest city with a population of over 2.4 million. It's also one of the country's top tourist hotspots.
Sun bears are native to northern parts of Indonesia, and south east Asia and naturally feed on a diet of honey, fruit and insects (file image)
The zoo is ranked at number 75 on Trip Advisor for things to do in the region, with many of the worried commenters warning other tourists not to visit.
Patrick H said: 'The condition of this zoo is very bad. Animals don't receive enough treatment because they all look so thin and sad. There is a lot of garbage, very dirty.
'The cages' condition is also not good. I hope the government will improve the condition of this zoo soon.'
Fifteen other commenters rated the zoo as 'terrible' including user FlyawayAZ who said it was the worst zoo he had ever visited.
'Although I knew the zoo did not have good ratings others in my group wanted to go. I'm sorry I did. I visit zoos all over the world and this was the worst one I have seen in many years…maybe ever!
'Animals thin and in poor condition. In many cases they are in extremely small cages with no natural materials. Old, rusty cages… but most importantly was the sadness of the animals in small, cement pens.
'The deer all had a skin condition that left bald patches all over their bodies. Pigs in a chest-high muddy area with no way to get dry.
'A sun bear was in a small cement 'pit' with a metal gate...we stood above him and looked down as he stood on his hind legs,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9SC9Gh77WE
Petition is trying to shame Ridwan Kamil, major of Bandung, into closing the zoo
Disturbing footage of skeletal sun bears pleading with visitors to feed them junk food at an Indonesian zoo has sparked fury online.
Visitors at Bandung zoo, on the island of Java, were filmed throwing cake, candy and crackers into the enclosure in a vain attempt to feed the starving animals.
Now an online petition is attempting to shame mayor Ridwan Kamil into closing the zoo for good.
Sun bears are being kept in shocking conditions in an Indonesian zoo, as footage shows the emaciated animals begging for scraps from tourists
Scorpion, a wildlife trade monitoring group, sent an investigator to the tourist attraction where they captured footage of starving bears standing on their hind legs and begging for snacks.
Gunung Gea, the director of Scorpion, told Daily Mail Australia: 'When my team visited the zoo last week there was no grass or live trees on the floor of their cage.
'We saw a sun bear eating its own dung but when we contacted the zoo's officers they told us the bear was medicated and we weren't allowed to see it.'
Animal activist Tori Hollingsworth was so outraged by the video she decided to create a petition - which has 12,000 signatures so far - demanding the zoo be shut.
She said: 'The bears are extremely thin and very hungry. Appalled visitors give them junk food to try and keep them alive.
'The video shows how the sun bears immediately go after small pieces of food that are tossed in their direction. They stand on their two feet and beg for more in a truly heartbreaking moment.
'These beautiful creatures should not be allowed to spend one more day at this terrible facility where they are forced to live between concrete walls, with no proper shelter and absolutely no food and water.
Furious viewers have now established a petition, which has amassed 12,000 signatures, attempting to shame mayor Ridwan Kamil into shutting the zoo down
'It is obvious that this zoo is not helping the animals. It is nothing short of a prison.'
Ms Hollingsworth ends the petition by asking the Major of Bandung to think of the thousands of children who visit the zoo.
She said: 'What will these kids think about this? I just can't help but wonder.'
Scorpion has pleaded with the Wildlife Authority in West Java (BKSDA) to investigate Bandung zoo, launching their own petition of 1,500 signatures to gain publicity for the helpless bears.
American Becky Koth signed Scorpion's online petition in support of closing the zoo.
'This is unacceptable. Why have a zoo where you just starve these bears? Let them go to a sanctuary to get healthy again and release them,' she wrote.
'They were better off without the so-called help of the humans running the zoo.'
Sandie Hawkins, from Australia, said: 'I cannot believe that people of today, in any country, can treat animals this way.
'If we consider ourselves to be the smartest species then we should care for these precious souls… I'm so angry.'
Bandung is Indonesia's third largest city with a population of over 2.4 million. It's also one of the country's top tourist hotspots.
Sun bears are native to northern parts of Indonesia, and south east Asia and naturally feed on a diet of honey, fruit and insects (file image)
The zoo is ranked at number 75 on Trip Advisor for things to do in the region, with many of the worried commenters warning other tourists not to visit.
Patrick H said: 'The condition of this zoo is very bad. Animals don't receive enough treatment because they all look so thin and sad. There is a lot of garbage, very dirty.
'The cages' condition is also not good. I hope the government will improve the condition of this zoo soon.'
Fifteen other commenters rated the zoo as 'terrible' including user FlyawayAZ who said it was the worst zoo he had ever visited.
'Although I knew the zoo did not have good ratings others in my group wanted to go. I'm sorry I did. I visit zoos all over the world and this was the worst one I have seen in many years…maybe ever!
'Animals thin and in poor condition. In many cases they are in extremely small cages with no natural materials. Old, rusty cages… but most importantly was the sadness of the animals in small, cement pens.
'The deer all had a skin condition that left bald patches all over their bodies. Pigs in a chest-high muddy area with no way to get dry.
'A sun bear was in a small cement 'pit' with a metal gate...we stood above him and looked down as he stood on his hind legs,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9SC9Gh77WE
