BANGKOK, Feb 24 (TNA) – The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation signed a memorandum of cooperation with Siam Makro PCL to use food waste from the company to feed the wild animals that are under the care of the department.
Thanya Netithammakul, director-general of the department, said the number of animals under the department’s care was rising because it increasingly received wild animals rescued from trafficking and abuse while having limited budgets to provide the care.
The budget in fiscal 2022 was further reduced and would be enough for a few months of care for the wild animals only. Meanwhile, COVID-19 heavily decreased the income of the department from entry fees at national parks and wildlife sanctuaries from 2 billion baht to only 300 million baht a year, he said.
He expressed gratitude towards Siam Makro for the project to give edible food waste from its stores to animals at 23 wildlife breeding centers, three wildlife shelters and the Bungchawak wildlife management center. The two-year-long project was greatly beneficial, the director-general said.
The management of Siam Makro said that the company had increasing amounts of food waste to dump at landfills. The donation of food waste under the project would support its goal to eliminate its food waste within 2030 and it expected to supply about 240 tons of food waste to the department this year. (TNA)
