T

he government's plan to invite wealthy citizens to take part in adopting Sumatran tigers has sparked controversy, with animal conservationists seething at the offer.

And while the tiger adoption program is still much debated, we therefore offer an alternative for wealthy Jakartans who are interested in animal conservation. They can play a part in improving the well-being of thousands of animals housed at the 30-hectare Ragunan Zoo in South Jakarta.

The animals' well-being currently relies much on taxpayer money, as revenue from ticket sales cannot cover the zoo's overhead. In fact, the zoo has great potential to independently cover all its daily expenses if serious efforts were taken to exploit its existing resources.

Rich animal-loving Jakartans do not need to directly donate their money to the zoo. Instead, they can help the zoo management dig up the site's great potentials so that it will no longer be a second-class tourist attraction, which it currently is.

Ragunan Zoo is the one place that people from all walks of life can afford to enjoy their leisure time in. It is always crowded with Jakartans and those living in neighboring areas, particularly on weekends and national holidays. Unfortunately, the trademark of Ragunan Zoo as a low-cost recreation site has had both negative and positive consequences.

Charging a relatively cheap entrance fee is good on the one hand because it makes it affordable for most Jakartans, including low-income families who surely also need a place to relax and escape from the daily grind. On the other hand, many high-income families are reluctant to come as they consider the zoo a less-prestigious hangout for them.

We believe that Ragunan Zoo, which opened in 1966, can become a prestigious tourist destination suitable for all visiting families. It not only displays animals inside their enclosures, but also has integrated education facilities that help visitors - mainly children - make direct contact with the animals or watch movies about them in the mini theater.

With financial assistance from rich Jakartans, the management can start the refurbishment program by converting the slum image of the zoo, including the dozens of poorly furnished food stalls situated near the parking lots and the main entrance, which have made the zoo a less prominent tourist attraction site.

Another area of concern is the poor state of sanitation inside the zoo, which contributes most to its slum image. Here, the management can add trashcans to prevent visitors disposing of their waste all over the place.

The last bit is an optional but important measure to attract more visitors. The management, with the donors' money, can initiate the construction of eco-friendly supporting facilities, such as open-air meeting facilities, meeting rooms, ample restaurants and other venues that will allow people to hold gatherings within the zoo compound.