There is something heartbreaking about seeing once-majestic animals caged and unable to do anything about it.

At Paradizoo, a theme farm in Tagaytay, there have been reports of animal starvation and lack of sanitation. At the Manila zoo, there have been reports of trainers feeding crocodiles live birds. At the same zoo, visitors reported that a Palawan bear cat dropped dead in its cage, a Philippine Eagle was found lying dead in the pathways, and that alligators were being punished for "misbehaving" by being stabbed in the head with a nail attached to a stick. At the same zoo, the animals' pens and cages are filled with dead leaves and trash, no doubt due to the lack of proper maintenance and initiative on the zookeepers' parts. One of their ostriches has been walking around with a dead eye, some of their smaller animals' wounds have been left untreated and most of the animals hardly look like they're being cared for, let alone fed. Three years ago, Jeff Harvie, an Australian Registered Migration Agent, reported a horrifying encounter of watching as the monkeys in their enclosure started ganging up on one of their own and started eating the flesh off his body. And of course, there's Mali the elephant, still trapped in her miserable enclosure after pleas to free her went unheard.

At the Manila Ocean Park, complaints about how the place has not been maintained in terms of appearance and cleanliness have been piling up. So far, nothing has been done.

To most people, zoos and aquariums are wonderful places. After all: what's not to love about seeing majestic animals and getting to interact with them from up close? But what most people don't know about zoos and aquariums is that they're not as fun for the animals as they are for humans. The truth is captive animals are forced to live lives that are miserable and detrimental to their welfare. Animals in captivity are forced to live a life of subtle cruelty and abuse and that is something we need to change.

Instead of sending and shipping animals to zoos and aquariums where they are forced to live lives trapped in cages and small pools, they should be allowed to retire to animal sanctuaries instead. Or better yet: let them live in peace in their natural habitats. We urge everyone who signs this petition to spread awareness, report cases, and gather as much evidence to empty those cages and tanks.

The Republic Act No. 8485 is an act to promote animal welfare in the Philippines, and although it's not always entirely their fault, zoos, petting farms and aquariums in the Philippines are in constant violation of this.

It is time for the Manila Zoo and other zoos and aquariums to put the health and welfare of their animals first. It is time to let these animals retire to sanctuaries so that they can eventually be released back into the wild. If nothing changes, these animals could die from poor health conditions, overpopulation and starvation.

Freedom shouldn't be a foreign concept to animals. It should be a reality. Your voice can help us correct these facilities and give these animals a fairer chance at life.

This is Cooperative Learning Project of the Subject: Empowerment Technologies, Grade 11 - Section Provincia Italiae, Colegio San Agustin - Biñan City, Laguna, Philippines