WEST JAVA - More than 700 animals at the Bandung Zoo in West Java are at risk of going hungry as the facility grapples with a severe financial crisis triggered by an unresolved legal battle between rival management groups.

Zoo spokesman Sulhan Syafi’i said the remaining funds for animal feed will only last until Dec 10, and, so far, the zoo has received no emergency assistance from either the Bandung administration or the central government.

“Salaries for our workers were still covered last month, but our animal feed budget will only last until Dec 10. We simply have no money left,” Mr Sulhan said on Dec 4 as quoted by Kompas.com.

The Bandung administration ordered the zoo closed to visitors on Aug 6 after two competing factions each claimed the legal right to operate the facility, the land of which belongs to the local government.

With the gates shut for the past four months, the zoo has had no ticket revenue, while daily operational costs continue, eventually plunging it into severe financial crisis.

According to Mr Sulhan, the zoo needs about 415 million rupiah (S$32,000) a month to feed its animal population, which requires 37 different types of food.

Carnivores such as lions and tigers each consume around 6kg of chicken and beef a day, while an elephant needs roughly 1.5 tonnes of grass and 1.1 tonnes of bananas every four days.

Operational expenses, including water, electricity and salaries for roughly 100 employees, add another 800 million rupiah a month.

Mr Sulhan said that despite the zoo’s financial crisis, the staff had not reduced the animals’ daily food portions.

“To save money, we’re adjusting the type of food, not the amount,” he explained. “For example, carnivores that eat 5-6 kg of meat a day used to get a 50-50 mix of beef and chicken. Now we give them 1kg of beef and the rest chicken. The total amount of food stays the same.”

He added t...