The Environment and Forestry Ministry'€™s director for conservation and biodiversity, Bambang Dahono Aji, said the Gembira Loka Zoo had obtained a permit from the government for its animal exchange plans. For conservation breeding, he said, the zoo management would involve several conservation institutions.

He further said the government was encouraging zoos in Indonesia to become conservation institutions '€“ not only exhibiting their animal collections but also serving as conservation breeding centers.

During his recent visit to the Gembira Loka Zoo in Yogyakarta, Bambang said that after successful breeding programs, animals would be returned to their natural habitats.

During the visit, Bambang, along with Gembira Loka Zoo president director KMT A Tirtodiprojo, Ragunan Zoo supervisor and council member Danny Gunalen and representatives from several other zoos in Indonesia, conducted field visits.

Bambang said the Gembira Loka Zoo was selected for the visit as it had a large number of wallaby species. The zoo had also involved other zoos, such as Ragunan Zoo in Jakarta and Cikembulan Zoo in Garut, West Java, in its programs.

Bambang said in the initial stage of its animal exchange program, the Gembira Loka Zoo would exchange selected animals with its counterparts in Korea and Singapore.

'€œThe Gembira Loka Zoo will receive a lion from the Singaporean Zoo and they will also cooperate in a lion conservation breeding program,'€ he said.

With the Korean Zoo, Bambang said the Gembira Loka Zoo would exchange one of its animals with a rare crocodile locally known as a senyulong.

'€œDetails of the animal exchange process are still being discussed,'€ he said.

To start its animal exchange program with local zoos, the Gembira Loka Zoo would work with Cikembulan Zoo and Ragunan Zoo. Currently, the Yogyakarta zoo has three female leopards while leopards in Cikembulan and Ragunan are all males.

'€œThey will exchange their leopards so they can have both male and female leopards,'€ said Bambang. (ebf)

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