The government-run Anoa Breeding Center (ABC) in Manado, North Sulawesi, recently welcomed its third anoa calf, raising hopes in conservation efforts for the endangered native animal of Sulawesi.

The third calf, a female born on July 25, was the result of a breeding program at the center.

North Sulawesi Natural Resources Conservation Office (BKSDA) head Agustinus Rante Lembang lauded the center’s breeding program.

“The anoa has been declared an endangered species and the birth of an anoa calf brings a breath of fresh air and new hope for conservation efforts,” he said recently in Manado.

The anoa, also known as the midget buffalo, is endemic to Sulawesi and is on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) red list of endangered species.

It is also a protected species, as stipulated in the 1990 law on the conservation of natural resources and ecosystems.

It is estimated that there are only 2,499 adult anoa in Sulawesi’s forests, according to IUCN data. Hunting and deforestation have been the main threats to the anoa population in the wild.

The center, established by the Environment and Forestry Ministry on Feb. 5, 2015, is tasked with finding a solution to the declining anoa population.

The breeding center hopes to help boost the anoa population through research and development, said Dody Garnadi, the head of the Manado Forestry and Environmental Research and Development Institute (BP2LHK), which supervises the facility.

On Feb. 7, 2017, the ABC welcomed its first anoa calf, which was named Maesa by Vice President Jusuf Kalla. The second anoa calf, named Anara by Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar, was born nine months later on Nov. 8.

The third calf was born through normal delivery to an anoa named Denok after a 10-month gestation period, weighing 6.7 kilograms and measuring 55 centimeters. The birth of the third calf, which has not been named yet, increases the number to 10 anoas at the facility.

“Currently, the ABC has 10 anoa comprising three males and seven females,” Dody said, adding that some had been seized from private owners while others had been surrendered to the center by members of the public.

Meanwhile, Adven Simamora, the veterinarian who supervised the birth, said the mother and calf were in good health and the calf had started suckling.

Denok was mated with a male called Rambo in September last year. The center made preparations to help during the delivery.

The preparations included arranging procedures on how to handle the delivery of the calf and setting up an isolation pen for the mother.

“Denok gave birth to her calf on July 25 at 9:04 p.m. local time through a normal delivery. We gave medical assistance as the mother had difficulty giving birth,” he said.

The center expressed pleasure with the breeding program after the first calf, a male, was born in the facility last year. Denok had acted as its mother after it was born.

In a heightened attempt to help the protect anoa, the ministry released a road map for anoa conservation from 2013 to 2022 that includes 14 high priority habitat areas located in Sulawesi.

The road map is aimed at boosting conservation efforts on anoa in the wild as their population is threatened by poaching and deforestation leading to habitat fragmentation, said the ministry’s director for biodiversity conservation, Indra Exploitasia.

“Therefore, our directorate general has established a protection and security program in the conservation area,” she said. (nor/sau)

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