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Jakarta Post

Opportunities to see primates in natural habitats

Jakarta Animal Aid Network wishes to thank Dyah Suharto for her comments in Out & About regarding the article on recreation in the form of the traditional topeng monyet

The Jakarta Post
Tue, September 16, 2008

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Opportunities to see primates in natural habitats

Jakarta Animal Aid Network wishes to thank Dyah Suharto for her comments in Out & About regarding the article on recreation in the form of the traditional topeng monyet.

Watching unhappy monkeys forced to perform unnatural tricks is not the type of entertainment children should be watching.

As Dyah mentioned, this is not a good example for children; learning that the suffering of a living being is acceptable and even applauded.

Sadly, until macaque monkeys are granted protected status by the government of Indonesia, there is nothing animal welfare groups can do to stop this practice except appeal to the public to stop supporting it.

On a more encouraging note, it seems people are becoming increasingly concerned about the fate of many animals which are being driven towards extinction, and about global warming issues as well as environmental conservation in general.

Now is the right time for schools and parents to provide educational trips for children, where they can learn and have fun at the same time, and not at the expense of helpless animals.

Why not plan a visit to one of the animal rescue and rehabilitation centers in Jakarta and surroundings?

Here are some great trips, which are educational, recreational and suitable for the whole family:

In the Thousand Islands National Park, Kotok Island Raptor Center is open for visitors to learn about the rehabilitation and release of many rescued raptors (birds of prey) including the Brahminy Kite (Haliastur Indus) -- the endangered symbol of Jakarta. The center also provides information about the area's unique ecosystem.

On Pramuka island, visitors can learn about three groups of rescued macaques (a total 36 individuals) which have been given back their freedom after being rescued from chains and cages in Jakarta.

The Thousand Islands also provides unique diving and snorkeling opportunities, which enable visitors to discover the mysteries of the underwater world. You could very well spot a sea turtle or even a group of dolphins. Visitors to the islands can also learn about coral reef restoration activities.

The Thousand Islands are just around the corner from Jakarta, so why not take advantage of the great location. It is easy to do a day trip, but island hopping for a few days is even more rewarding.

The Thousand Islands National Park is easily accessible from Ancol Bay (Resort Speedboat, Rp 300,000), or Muara Angke Harbor (Public Boat, Rp 40,000). From Muara Angke you can take a boat to Kelapa Island. Then charter a fishing boat to Kotok Island, which is very near.

Alternatively, Schmutzer Primate Center is located inside Ragunan Zoo, but was built with independent management and funding by the Gibbon Foundation (which is why ticket sales are separate from the Ragunan Zoo entrance fee). This world-class facility cares for primates while strictly adhering to the highest international standards.

The welfare of primates within this centre is much better than at many other local zoos. Their enclosures are made as naturally and as large as possible; the primates are provided with fresh food every day and are allowed social contact amongst their own species.

Sadly, there are many orangutans within Ragunan Zoo itself that are still kept alone in small cement cages and do not enjoy the same freedoms as the monkeys at Schmutzer Primate Center.

What is still needed in Jakarta is a specialized centre where people can learn about the conservation of the orangutan (our closest relative in the animal kingdom), and where the welfare of the orangutans is the top priority. A visit to the Schmutzer Primate Center should not be missed!

In Ciapus, near Bogor, you can visit a specialized primate rescue centre founded by International Animal Rescue. This seems to be the only safe haven for Indonesian macaques besides the 'Monkey Island' within the Thousand Islands National Park.

At Ciapus the monkeys are re-socialized in natural groups and then released back into their natural habitat.

The monkeys that arrive at Ciapus are the fortunate ones -- those that have been rescued from a life of misery chained up on a Jakarta sidewalk or cramped in a tiny cage serving a life sentence of solitary confinement.

Also in Bogor, within the Halimun Salak Mountain National Park, you can find the Indonesian Environmental Information Center (PILI) where information about many of Indonesia's nature programs is available.

So, please, visit one of these places that promotes animal welfare and teach your children that cruelty to animals is wrong.

If we all work together we can discourage topeng monyet and hopefully this inhumane form of entertainment will soon die out completely in Indonesia.

--Femke den Haas and Natalie Stewart

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