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Pramono to dedicate an island for stray cats
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Pendi, 72, feeds stray cats outside the National Monument (Monas) complex in Central Jakarta, on September. 2. 2020 Every week, Pendi receives Rp 70,000 (US$4.74) from a donor to buy cat food and feed around 150 stray cats in the area. JP/Dhoni Setiawan (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
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akarta Governor Pramono Anung has expressed his intention to establish a “cat island” in Thousands Islands regency in an attempt to address the city’s growing stray cat population, while also boosting tourism, drawing inspiration from similar islands in Japan that have attracted both local and international visitors.
“The idea about the cat island is not new. Japan has already established ones and they have become extraordinary tourist destinations,” Pramono said at City Hall on Thursday, claiming that the cat lover community in Indonesia, particularly the capital city, is quite big.
“If we can make it happen, the island can be a source of revenue for the Thousand Islands administration,” the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician added, as quoted by tempo.co.
He further projected the island to be a cat rehabilitation center, which will also host a cat hospital.
Last week, Pramono received an award from the Indonesian World Record Museum (MURI) for carrying out the most cat sterilizations, with up to 1,000 cats in February alone. The governor hopes the program can target 21,000 cats without owners this year.
Read also: Pramono drops planned free school breakfasts
A representative from the Jakarta cat lover community Sonny Kastara Dhaniswara, who handed the MURI award to Pramono, supported the idea of developing the cat island, saying it has been their dream for a long time.
