Fremantlebiz - Paul's Letter from Australia

Who's who at the Bali Zoo. (and the Peel Zoo.)

I had an email from Tony Greenwood yesterday. He and his wife Narelle are owners of the Peel Zoo, which is located between Mandurah and Pinjarrah, about an hour's drive south of Fremantle. Tony had been having a chuckle at an essay I wrote on 18 January 2007 about a visit to a competitor's zoo, which is also down that way. Tony suggested I should visit his zoo next time - gratis. Talk about living dangerously. What if a llama spits at me? I'll be sure to write about it.

Now I suspect Tony and his young family are as brushy-tailed as some of the creatures they care for. At about this time last year they visited Bali and being zookeepers, naturally they made a beeline for the Bali Zoo. Well, what else would zoo people do when they go on holiday.

Things have been tough for the Bali Zoo since the terrorist attacks of October 12, 2002 which killed 202 people, including 89 Australian tourists. These were compounded by another deadly effort on 1 October 2005 - only two years ago. I wrote some impressions about that second event on 2 October 2005.

Tony and his family discovered during their visit that the zoo was under threat of closure. The economic disaster which had overtaken Bali was also threatening the futures of a large population of animals and some 75 staff. The zoo's owner had run up debt equivalent to half a million Australian dollars to keep the operation running. This is an awful lot of money in Balinese terms, and the bank was becoming twitchy.

The Greenwood tribe decided to help out. Their heroic story is best read from the two links on the Peel Zoo Website. There's a copy of a press article
from The Bali Times, and a downloadable PDF sponsorship info document generated by themselves.

In essence the Greenwood family decided to take up temporary residence in Bali so that Tony could assist the zoo owner to successfully renegotiate his bank loan. Then at their own cost they also took on the physical management of much needed upgrades and modifications to some of the old style animal enclosures. Plus, based on their own successful zoo experience in Western Australia, they provided the owner with strategic advice and suggested initiatives for improving the zoo's cash flow. This private motivational effort soaked up in excess of ten thousand dollars of their own cash, but they were not complaining.

I'm aware they have a previous track record of generous humanitarian effort in Vanuatu. Perhaps now you understand why I used the word heroic - it's because I believe these folk are true Aussie heroes. The modest types who take on serious challenges and give them their best shot.

After I answered Tony's email I had a phone call from him yesterday. He and his family are back at their own Peel Zoo now, but they are still in close contact with the Bali people. Tony was very optimistic for their future. The nick-of-time input he and his family provided earlier this year has made a great difference, but there is still plenty to be done. Narelle will be visiting them again soon as a volunteer consultant/advisor.

The Bali Zoo is still in dire need of financial benefactors. People can easily donate via eBay's Paypal or other means, no matter whereabouts in the world they live. If anyone can help the Balinese with a few bucks in this still critical time, please do. The details are in the downloadable PDF sponsorship pack. The pack also has a variety of membership inducements which would be particularly handy for tourists visiting Bali. Click here to bring it down.

The Bali Zoo is in a natural tropical setting. You can tell this from its own brave website. Don't speak Bahasa/Indonesian - that's okay. All you'll need to know for starters is 'ice cream.' It has the same meaning.

© MMVII Paul R. Weaver.

About the writer

Check out each month's subject index on the Calendar Page for my "common-man" monologues about survival in 21st century Australia – plus a little history occasionally. An original essay is added most days as part of an undertaking to write a couple of million words.

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