President Jokowi : Renovate Infeasible Zoos dan Save Endangered Species

President Joko Widodo accompanied by Minister of State Secretary and Minister of Environment Affairs and Forestry in a meeting with the Manager of Indonesian Zoo Association (PKBSI), on Wednesday (30/9) afternoon, at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta.

President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo asked Manager of the Indonesian Zoo Association (PKBSI) to name zoos which are not feasible as research, education, rescue places for endangered animals, as well as those that are not suitable as educated and low cost entertainment area to be renovated or rebuilt.

“The President promised to give assistance on the renovation, until those zoos become proper in accordance to wildlife conservation ethic,”  General Chief of PKBSI Rahmat Sah said, after he and several managers of PKBSI were received by President Joko Widodo on Wednesday (30/9) at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta.

The President also hopes the area of zoos would not shrink but would get wider and if possible, the areas could serve as cities green open spaces (RTH).

“(Zoo areas) could contribute to the improvement of air quality in cities and catchment area,” President Jokowi said.

Previously, PKBSI managers reported to the President concerning the issues of flora and fauna, particularly on conservation organizations or zoos.

PKBSI reported that zoos commonly owned by the Government or under the management of regencies/cities are mostly in less-favorable condition and do not follow ethic and rules applied nationally or internationally.

PKBSI also recorded that from 52 zoos under PKBSI supervision, as many as 10-15 zoos are not in proper condition, 10 zoos are in less-favorable condition, and the rest are still in feasible condition.

Furthermore, PKBSI and the International Union for Conservation Nature (IUCN) also called for Indonesia’s concerns on endangered animals, such as rhinoceros, anoa, pig deers and chirping birds.

“Other countries and foreign parties have even expressed their concern on our wildlife. Singapore, for example, has conducted a workshop on Sumatran rhinoceros rescuing,” Rahmat Sah said, adding that there are only five rhinoceros in the world, in which Indonesia has 2 species of rhinoceros (Javan and Sumatran), India has 1 species that spread in several countries, and Africa has black and white rhinoceros spread in 11 countries.

In the meantime, PKBSI Secretary General Tony Sumampau said that President Jokowi also requested PKBSI to take action and focus on the action and after that, the President will take some measures according to the recommendation to save the species.

Tony cited one of the measures that could be done: finding second habitat. For example the population of Javan rhinoceros in Ujung Kulon could not reach 50 because of the limited land; thus, the rhinoceros should be moved to the second habitat.

However, Tonny added, the second habitat has become another issue because several regional governments claim that a certain species is an icon of the area and if those are moved to second habitat, there would be two provinces which have same icon.

“However, the President said in order to save endangered species, all attempts must be made. The action taken to chirping birds must be proposed in a written form. Because chirping birds have become culture in our society to pet it, taking the birds from the wild can not be prevented anymore. The most possible action is to limit the number of birds taken from the wild,” Tony said.

Accompanying the President during the event were the Minister of the Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya, Minister of State Secretary Pratikno, and PKBSI Protection Board Irman Gusman and Chairman of the Advisory Board Emil Salim. (GG/ES)(RAS/EP/YM-Naster/Sy)