Two Jakarta Gorilla Stories

[Guest guest]

It's nice to know my sources are accurate (you might recall a month or so

ago I asked if the rumor was true and the gorillas were moving and yesterday

inquired about the fact they had arrived in Jakarta) ....

 

Jane Dewar

 

 

 

www.thejakartapost.com Print July 10, 2002

 

 

 

Great apes from UK arrive, quarantined for one month

Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

 

After a series of heated debates and several postponements, four male

gorillas from the Howletts and Port Lymphne Animal Park in Kent, England,

finally arrived here on Monday evening and were immediately sent to their

luxury enclosure in Ragunan Zoo, South Jakarta.

 

People who want to see the apes, however, will have to be patient as

it will be about one month before they can be exhibited to the public,

according to Governor Sutiyoso.

 

He told reporters at City Hall on Tuesday that the gorillas needed

time for adjustment to their new environment.

 

" They need to be quarantined for a month before the public can see

them, " he said.

 

Sutiyoso revealed that the Gibbon Foundation, which initiated the

procurement of the giant apes, has granted Rp 10 billion (US$1.1 billion)

for the feeding and upkeep of the gorillas over three years.

 

He said the zoo had also sent staff members to the English zoo to

study the habits of the gorillas.

 

It is still not clear what will happen to the gorillas and who will

finance them should they still be here after three years.

 

Last year, the city administration claimed it had allocated Rp 3.2

billion from the city budget for the upkeep of the apes.

 

The allocation of such a huge sum of money sparked controversy,

especially as the country was still suffering from a prolonged economic

crisis.

 

The arrival of the gorillas, which should have happened last year, was

postponed because of the controversy.

 

It was reported that the Rp 3.2 billion was needed as the gorillas

needed a large amount of imported fruit, such as apples, grapes and pears.

 

But the foundation's director, Willie Smits, angrily denied the

administration's claim, saying that the gorillas could eat local vegetables,

hibiscus leaves (locally known as kembang sepatu), and even sugar cane, not

just expensive, imported fruits.

 

The foundation, which was founded by animal lover, the late Mrs. Puck

Schmutzer, also financed the building of the giant enclosure for the

gorillas, which cost Rp 10 billion, in Ragunan Zoo.

 

The 1.5 hectare enclosure is located in the middle of the 14-hectare

primate center.

 

It is still unclear whether Ragunan Zoo will still require an

additional fee of Rp 3,000 for adults and Rp 2,000 for children who wish to

see the gorillas, as provided for in a bylaw which was approved last year,

since the upkeep of the gorillas is being fully paid for by the foundation.

 

Meanwhile, Ragunan Zoo's director Ismianto said on Tuesday that the

gorillas, named Kihi, Kimbou, Kijou and Kumao, were in good health and were

under the supervision of a veterinarian and a handler from England.

 

" They have started to play in their new enclosure, and eat hibiscus

leaves and sugar cane, " Ismianto said.

 

Two of the gorillas weigh some 600 kilograms each while the other two

weigh around 300 kilograms.

 

 

 

 

 

> http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailcity.asp?fileid=20020710.G05 & irec=4

> July 10, 2002

> 'Officials tried to make money from gorillas'

> The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

> Four gorillas from Howlett and Port Lymphne Animal Park in Kent, England

> finally arrived in the city's Ragunan Zoo in South Jakarta after an

extended

> public discourse due to the city administration's plan to use a budget

> allocation of several billions of rupiah per year for their food, while

the

> England-based Gibbon Foundation already said that it would cover the food

> expenses for the gorillas here for the next three years.

> What do the people have to say about the city's fuzzy math?

> Vanda, 31, an employee of a private company in Kuningan, South Jakarta.

She

> is an animal lover born in Jakarta.

> " I'd love to see gorillas up close, because I've only seen them on

> television before. I heard that the pen is very luxurious. That's ok as it

> was built by people who love animals.

> What makes me sad is that the administration has tried to use the gorillas

> to get billions of rupiah from the city budget, claiming that the money

> would be spent for their daily food. However, someone from a foreign

> foundation (The Gibbon Foundation), said that the foundation would be in

> charge of the expenses for the gorillas.

> That means the administration plans to exploit the animals to siphon money

> from the city budget. The gorillas' owner must be skeptical doubt whether

we

> could take care of the giant apes properly. Hopefully, the Ragunan Zoo

> management will take care of the gorillas well. "

> Tur Wahyudi, 42, is a security guard at a construction company on Jl. Puri

> Kencana, Kembangan, West Jakarta.

> " What? Rp 10 billion only for a cage for gorillas. I cannot imagine. How

> easy they spent that huge amount of money. It'd be better for that money

to

> be used for charity.

> Many people need help. Many people are jobless. As a low income person,

I've

> never dreamed of seeing that amount of money. It seems that our leaders

have

> no idea that we are in an economic crisis.

> Do they even know how little a poor person like me spends? "

> Dedi Darmawan, 26, a consultant at a private company on Jl.H.R. Rasuna

Said,

> South Jakarta. He lives in nearby Cilandak area, South Jakarta, and is a

> regular visitor to Ragunan Zoo.

> " As a Jakartan, I warmly welcome the four gorillas, as they add to the

> collection of the zoo. More people are expected to visit the zoo to see

the

> gorillas.

> There are many things, including the preservation of nature, we can learn

> from the zoo. The gorillas, whose number has been decreasing over time,

may

> inspire us to preserve rare animals or the nature in general.

> But of course, the administration must not take advantage of the gorillas.

> They are innocent animals. Just make it simple. They could eat food that

is

> available here instead of imported food. The most important thing is that

we

> have to demonstrate our best effort to take care of them with our own hard

> work and ability. "

> Sisca, a mother of two children from Semarang, Central Java. She lives in

> Lenteng Agung, South Jakarta.

> " I think the plan that the government is to allocate budget money for the

> gorillas at the zoo is excessive. It's totally ridiculous!

> How could just the maintenance of such animals be worth billions of rupiah

> which derives from the city budget? As one of many Jakarta residents, I

feel

> insulted by such a plan. It means that human beings are now disregarded

and

> animals get their hall of fame.

> The project is useless. The budget would be better utilized to help the

poor

> survive in such an economic slump.

> It seems to me that to become a good citizen, who always pays my taxes, is

> good for nothing as luxury treatment is given to animals. What a wasteful

> and ignorant project! " --JP

>

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