Animals At Closed Zoo Depend On Helping Hands | PHOTOS
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In this Sunday, May 3, 2020, photo, a female Sumatran elephant named Siti, the one and only elephant at Medan Zoo, walks in her enclosure at the zoo which is closed for public due to the new coronavirus outbreak, in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. The zoo management is scrambling to find donations of money and food to keep hundreds of animals fed at the zoo that normally relied on ticket sales to run, after it was closed last month amid the global pandemic. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
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In this Sunday, May 3, 2020, photo, stray cats are seen at Medan Zoo that is closed for public due to the new coronavirus outbreak, in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. The zoo management is scrambling to find donations of money and food to keep hundreds of animals fed at the zoo that normally relied on ticket sales to run after it was closed last month amid the global pandemic. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
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In this Sunday, May 3, 2020, photo, people carry boxes of fruits as they donate food for animals at Medan Zoo which is closed to visitors due to the new coronavirus outbreak, in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Donations of fruits, vegetables and meat arrive daily after the zoo management appealed for outside help to keep hundreds of animals fed at the zoo that normally relied on ticket sales to run, after it was closed last month due to the global pandemic. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
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In this Thursday, April 30, 2020, photo, zookeeper Ahmad Zuliansyah feed a tiger with a donated chicken during a feeding time at Medan Zoo, in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. The zoo management is scrambling to find donations of money and food to keep hundreds of animals fed at the zoo that normally relied on ticket sales to run, after it was closed last month amid the new coronavirus outbreak. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
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In this Saturday, May 2, 2020, photo, rupiah coins are seen inside a donation box for animals at Medan Zoo which is affected by the new coronavirus outbreak at a collection point n Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. It has been more than a month since the zoo closed for visitors as part of efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus. With no income to buy food for the animals, the management appealed for outside help. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
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In this Saturday, May 2, 2020, photo, a young girl puts small change on a donation box for animals at Medan Zoo which is affected by the new coronavirus outbreak at a collection point in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. It has been more than a month since the zoo closed for visitors as part of efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus. With no income to buy food for the animals, the management appealed for outside help. Writings on the banner read: "Donate food for animals affected by COVID-19, small change could save endangered animals at Medan Zoo." (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkar
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In this Thursday, Monday, May 4, 2020, photo, zoo keeper Ahmad Zuliansyah feeds a tiger with a piece of donated chicken during a feeding time at Medan Zoo, in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. The zoo management is scrambling to find donations of money and food to keep hundreds of animals fed at the zoo that normally relied on ticket sales to run after it was closed to visitors last month due to the new coronavirus outbreak. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
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In this Friday, May 1, 2020, photo, Siti, the only elephant at Medan Zoo, eats donated food, inside her enclosure in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Donations of fruits, vegetables and meat arrive daily after the zoo management appealed for outside help to keep hundreds of animals fed at the zoo that normally relied on ticket sales to run, after it was closed to visitors last month due to the new coronavirus outbreak. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
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In this Sunday, May 3, 2020, photo, an eagle perches inside its cage at empty Medan Zoo that is closed for visitors due to the new coronavirus outbreak, in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. The zoo management is scrambling to find donations of money and food to keep hundreds of animals fed at the zoo that normally relied on ticket sales to run after it was closed last month amid the global pandemic. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
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In this Thursday, April 30, 2020, photo, veterinarian Yona Dumaica prepares donated fruits and vegetables for Siti, the one and only elephant at Medan Zoo in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Donations of fruits, vegetables and meat arrive daily after the zoo management appealed for outside help to keep hundreds of animals fed at the zoo that normally relied on ticket sales to run, after it was closed to visitors last month due to the new coronavirus outbreak. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
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In this Thursday, April 30, 2020, photo, workers unload fruits and vegetables from the back of a donation truck at Medan Zoo in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Donations of fruits, vegetables and meat arrive daily after the zoo management appealed for outside help to keep hundreds of animals fed at the zoo that normally relied on ticket sales to run, after it was closed for visitors last month due to the new coronavirus outbreak. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
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In this Friday, May 1, 2020, photo, a worker prepare donated fruits and vegetables during a feeding time at Medan Zoo in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Donations of fruits, vegetables and meat arrive daily after the zoo management appealed for outside help to keep hundreds of animals fed at the zoo that normally relied on ticket sales to run, after it was closed to visitors last month due to the new coronavirus outbreak. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
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In this Thursday, April 30, 2020, photo, a bear eats a donated papaya in his cage at Medan Zoo that is closed for public due to the new coronavirus outbreak, in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. The zoo management is scrambling to find donations of money and food to keep hundreds of animals fed at the zoo that normally relied on ticket sales to run after it was closed to visitors last month due to the new coronavirus outbreak. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
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In this Thursday, April 30, 2020, photo, a black bear looks at a donated papaya from inside of his cage during a feeding time at Medan Zoo, in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. The zoo management is scrambling to find donations of money and food to keep hundreds of animals fed at the zoo that normally relied on ticket sales to run after it was closed to visitors last month due to the new coronavirus outbreak. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
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In this Friday, May 1, 2020, photo, a female orangutan named Amidah eats donated fruit, inside her enclosure at Medan Zoo in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. It has been more than a month since the zoo closed for visitors as part of efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus. With no income to buy food for the animals, the management appealed for outside help. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
MEDAN, Indonesia (AP) — The sound of the sea eagle breaks the silence between the iron cages at Medan Zoo in Indonesia’s North Sumatra province. It has been more than a month since the zoo closed and restricted visitors as part of efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
The number of people visiting the 260 animals has dropped from 3,000 a day since the outbreak started in January to 300 until it finally closed. With no income to buy food for the animals, the management appealed for outside help.
The response came through the delivery of fruits, vegetables and meat. Papayas, bananas, water spinach, cucumbers and other vegetables are unloaded every day from donation trucks.
Children drop coins in a donation box. Within two weeks, assistance came not only from Medan but other cities and as far as Singapore.
Other Indonesian zoos offered food, and money was being transferred into the Medan Zoo account.
Meanwhile, the zoo has become home to stray cats.
Only employees taking care of the animals report to work every day, their number cut in half.
Veterinarians have taken up cleaning the cages. They make sure the sun bears and orangutans get their supply of fruits and tigers meat, and that no animal goes hungry.
