Society

Covering the changing times of China

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-12-30 07:18

Fury at tiger tragedy leads to better care

When 11 Siberian tigers starved to death at the privately owned Shenyang Forest Wild Animals Zoo in Liaoning province, animal lovers nationwide were outraged. Authorities, who took control of the privately owned business in March, shut the park down until May 1.

Tigers at Shenyang Forest Wild Animals Zoo are looking healthier. Wu Yong / China Daily

Eight months on, Jiang Hong, a reporter with the Shenyang-based China Business Morning Post, said the animals at the zoo are doing much better. "Siberian tigers were wandering and playing together in the wildlife area," she said, recalling her visit in November. "A tour guide told me the tigers are now fed once a day at lunch time with 20 kilograms of beef and chicken meat."

In March, keepers said they had only been able to feed the tigers chicken bones for about two years.

Shenyang Forest Wild Animals Zoo had been in poor financial shape since 2000, when it became private and animals suffered food shortage for years. After two starved Siberian tigers mauled their handlers in 2009 and 11 more died of malnutrition between December 2009 and February 2010, failures in the zoo's management were put under the spotlight.

The situation has been improved with a special government fund of 3 million yuan ($450,000), said Liu Dajun, the zoo's deputy general manager. The money has been used to improve animals' living conditions and upgrade its veterinary practice, as well as for new cages and vehicles.

Since the improvements, breed has increased.

"We have had 11 animals give birth to 91 babies this year," Liu said at the Shenyang Wild Animal Protection Work Meeting on Nov 16. "Next year, we will breed more Siberian tigers."

The work meeting resulted in a system that requires that the death of an animal must be reported to forestry administrations within three days.

Shenyang Forest Wild Animals Zoo has received 100,000 visitors since May 1, roughly 70,000 people fewer than in 2009. Revenue also fell to 4.6 million yuan. Liu blamed the decreases in the number of species on display, as well as the zoo's damaged reputation.

Li Li

For the original story, visit: http://m.ming7.cn/china/2010-03/19/content_9611254.htm

Care boss starting again in the City of Angels

This time last year, Zhang Minsheng was begrudgingly saying farewell to the Shanghai care home he had run for 17 years. After a fierce two-year battle with authorities to prevent his business from being demolished, he received 10 million yuan ($1.5 million) in compensation for a property he said was worth three times as much.

Zhang Minsheng is planning to start a care home in Los Angeles with the 10 million yuan in compensation he received from the township government. Yong Kai / China Daily

At the time, he admitted he felt "hopeless". Yet, today the 62-year-old is looking to start again - in Los Angeles. Zhang is planning to sign a final contract for a 200-bed property in the Californian city at the end of this month.

"Hopefully, it will be open for business next October," he said, before estimating that at least half of the tenants will be Chinese.

"As many Chinese immigrants in Los Angeles are from Shanghai, I'll be able to greet them in my Shanghai dialect," he added.

With this in mind, Zhang also plans to take 10 qualified nurses from Shanghai with him, which he believes will help his care home stand out, in terms of quality and price.

"I'm optimistic about the future now," said Zhang, whose bitterness over the demolition of his old property seems to have eased.

"I'll be inviting some of the residents from my old care home (in Shanghai) to visit me in the US."

Forced relocation has been a hot topic in 2010, with clashes between residents and authorities making headlines nationwide. The central government is now drafting a law to better protect homeowners' rights.

When Zhang opened his Shanghai care home in 1993, he signed a 30-year lease. However, as land prices soared thanks to the fast economic development, the township government of Pengpu in Zhabei district decided in 2007 to break the contract and redevelop the land.

Unhappy with the compensation on offer, Zhang took the authority to court but lost, forcing him and more than 300 elderly residents to relocate to a new home in Jiading district. He is still waiting for his license to be approved.

In the meantime, he has been looking at other opportunities, visiting properties across China and US, including San Francisco, Chicago and Hawaii.

He explained that the care home in Los Angeles was put on the market after its former owner stopped paying the mortgage.

"It's a good deal," added Zhang.

Cao Li

To read the original story, visit: http://m.ming7.cn/cndy/2010-03/09/content_9557276.htm