1606
238
PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL
The third question. For newly built children's playgrounds, can we stop building slides of this kind of material? This is much better than erecting additional supportive structures and posting up notices.
The fourth question. Do the slides of all the other children's playgrounds in the entire territory have such a phenomenon? If not, why isn't the same kind of material used instead of a new kind of material?
MR. RONNIE WONG MAN-CHIU (in Cantonese):-I don't have the information about the comparison between the six children's playgrounds, that is, the five mentioned before plus the one mentioned by Mr. WONG, and the slides in the entire territory, but this doesn't mean that slides made of another type of material do not have such a phenomenon. The frequency of such a phenomenon might even be greater. I think we should refer this to the Department for further study, but of course, if there is a better kind of material for slides which reduces the possibility of static electricity, I am sure the Select Committee will not hesitate to see to it that it is used by the Department.
(6) MR. SUEN KAI-CHEONG asked (in Cantonese):-'Insufficient space in the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens has made it difficult for its two adult jaguar habitants to breed and the management of the Gardens has taken preventive measures by means of contraceptives and separation by cages. However, since contraceptive injections are costly for the Gardens to sustain, only the separation method is currently employed to prevent the jaguars from mating, but this may have adverse psychological effect on the animals. This inhumane treatment has aroused the citizens' concern. Therefore, I have the following questions:
(a) Does the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens have any established policies on breeding for the animals and birds being kept in the Gardens?
(b) On what principles have these policies been formulated?
(c) If the management of the Gardens does not wish them to breed but does not regularly employ contraceptives, thus depriving them of mating under normal and natural conditions in their oestrus, does the Department have other more humane ways of dealing with this matter?'
MR. RONNIE WONG MAN-CHIU, CHAIRMAN OF THE RECREATION SELECT COMMITTEE, replied (in Cantonese):-Before answering Mr. SUEN's question, the Department would like to make some clarifications and explain the background. There is sufficient space in the jaguar cage of the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens to accommodate a pair of adult jaguars plus two to three jaguar cubs. However, when the jaguar cubs grow up, it would be a bit crowded inside the cage. Hence in the long run, it is necessary to find a new habitat for the jaguar cubs. At the beginning of this year, the health condition of the female jaguar was not so good. The management of the Gardens...