Bogor Museum needs serious attention<\/p>\n
By Lenah Susianty<\/p>\n
BOGOR, West Java (JP): All the rooms at the Bogor Zoological
\nMuseum are gloomy and stuffy. It is hot. There are no air-
\nconditioners and the fans hanging from the ceiling don't work.<\/p>\n
A couple of backpackers are looking at a diorama of monkey's
\nspecies and four children in elementary school uniforms are
\ndiscussing a stuffed 2,280 kilogram rhinoceros placed inside a
\nglass box in the mammals room.<\/p>\n
In other quiet rooms there are faded white wooden boxes,
\ncovered in graffiti, housing a lovely collection of butterflies.
\nSome of the collections have information written in old
\nIndonesian on yellowing paper. Some do not have English
\ntranslations and some do not have any explanation at all.<\/p>\n
A white-washed giant blue whale skeleton weighing 64,000
\nkilograms, from 1916, lies rigidly in a fenced hall. In a corner,
\nsome dark and dirty aquariums add to the impression of neglect.<\/p>\n
It is very calm and silent. Dilapidated heads of deer and
\nother animals on the walls remind us how old this museum is.<\/p>\n
This is surely not what is expected of an institution which
\ncelebrates its 100th anniversary today.<\/p>\n
If Dutch zoologist Koningsberger were still alive, he would be
\ndisappointed to see the museum he established in 1894 worse than
\nit was 100 years ago.<\/p>\n
No wonder that the old museum is not one of the places
\nIndonesians prefer to visit.<\/p>\n
Ratih, a mother of three, who was at the museum when The
\nJakarta Post visited recently, said that her children love to see
\nthe museum's collection of animals. However, the unfavorable
\nambience of the museum discourages her from taking them there
\noften.<\/p>\n
\"It is very hot here with no ventilation and no parking lot,\"
\nshe lamented.<\/p>\n
The number of visitors to the museum seems to support Ratih's
\nopinion. There were only 85,000 to 90,000 visitors last year with
\n75,000 tickets sold. The number usually increases in holiday
\nseasons, such as during June's school holidays. It certainly does
\nnot compare with museums at Taman Mini which are visited by an
\naverage of five million people annually, or with London's Natural
\nHistory Museum which attracts thousands of people per day.<\/p>\n
History<\/p>\n
In 1850 the Dutch, through their cultuurstelsel (forced labor)
\npolicy, started planting export commodities such as pepper and
\ncoffee over huge areas. The change in planting system brought
\nplant diseases caused by insects. To fight this the Dutch
\ncolonial government, in cooperation with Dutch private
\nagricultural companies, hired a zoologist named Koningsberger to
\nresearch possible solutions.<\/p>\n
During this period, development of science and culture was the
\ntrend in Europe and also in Batavia (the old name of Jakarta).
\nAnd an organization for the development of science and culture,
\nknown as Bataviasche genotschap vankunsten en wetenschappen,
\nexisted in Batavia.<\/p>\n
Koningsberger, a supporter of the movement, realized that he
\nhad a rare opportunity to study tropical animals, which at that
\ntime were mysterious to Europeans, and spent his time in
\nIndonesia collecting and studying animals and, specifically,
\ninsects.<\/p>\n
His collection grew bigger and bigger and Koningsberger was
\ngiven a building, which was continuously expanding, in the area
\nof the Bogor Biological Park.<\/p>\n
Koningsberger then proposed that private Dutch agricultural
\ncompanies and the colonial government establish a zoological
\nmuseum to safeguard the collection against the damaging humidity.<\/p>\n
He also required a space where he could display his
\ncollection of insects to teach those working in agricultural
\nfields about plant diseases.<\/p>\n
In 1901, the complex of buildings previously used to
\naccommodate his collection was officially utilized as Museum
\nZoologicum Bogoriense, and was opened to the public in 1902.<\/p>\n
\"However, we consider that the museum was founded in 1894
\nbecause research and inventory of animals existing in Indonesia,
\nwhich we are still doing today, had already started,\" Mohammad
\nAmir, head of the Bogor Zoological Museum, told the Post
\nrecently.<\/p>\n
During the Japanese occupation the museum was headed by a
\nscientist engaged by Japan's Emperor Hirohito, who was also a
\nbiologist and had a great interest in the museum. Consequently,
\nthe museum was well cared for and Dutch scientists, who were
\nprisoners of the war, worked at the museum.<\/p>\n
From 1945 to 1949, during the Republican era, the Dutch
\ncontinued to manage the museum. After 1949, an Indonesian
\nagriculturist, Koesnoto, was appointed by the Ministry of
\nAgriculture to head the museum. Even though it was led by an
\nIndonesian its zoologists and scientists were foreigners, from
\nBritain, Denmark, the Netherlands and East European countries,
\nwho were interested in tropical zoology.<\/p>\n
\"The museum's large collection became a center of tropical
\nzoology and we are still the biggest in Southeast Asia,\" Sampurno
\nKadarsan, the first Indonesian zoologist and now senior scientist
\nat the museum, told the Post.<\/p>\n
From 1960 the museum has been managed completely by
\nIndonesians. Sampurno, who was educated as a medical entomologist
\nin Maryland, U.S.A, was appointed to lead the zoologist working
\nat the museum.<\/p>\n
The museum, which has collected 20 percent of the insects, 80
\npercent of the mammals and birds and 30 percent of the
\ninvertebrates in Indonesia, is now managed by the Indonesian
\nInstitute of Sciences (LIPI).<\/p>\n
Besides research, the Bogor Zoological Museum is also the
\nscientific authority which organizes all activities related to
\nthe exportation and exploitation of animals.<\/p>\n
Limited budget<\/p>\n
Financial limitations have prevented the museum from
\ndeveloping into a modern, attractive tourist as well as
\nscientific center.<\/p>\n
\"The budget for our museum is relatively small. It is the
\n'normal' case in Indonesia because our officials have not yet
\nrealized the importance of museums. Only several museums
\nestablished by VIPs have big budgets,\" Amir said, refusing to
\ndisclose the museum's annual budget.<\/p>\n
The salaries of its employees, including researchers, are not
\nencouraging either.<\/p>\n
To compensate for the small salaries, the researchers draw
\ncomfort from the reward extended whenever they discover a new
\nspecies. Under the reward scheme, researchers may use their own
\nnames for the species they discover. An ecto-parasite, for
\ninstance, was named Haemaphysalis kadarsani after Sampurno
\nKadarsan.<\/p>\n
A lack of space for exhibits and scientists also limits the
\ndevelopment of the museum. Therefore, the museum, especially its
\nexhibition rooms, remain as it was when it was established.<\/p>\n
\"Under the current atmosphere, scientists are not motivated
\nbecause they cannot channel their ideas,\" he explained.<\/p>\n
\"In the 1970s we tried to renovate some of our displays by
\nmaking diorama, for instance, but it is not easy because the
\nrooms are too stuffy and lack good lighting,\" Sampurno said,
\nadding that a big parking lot is also essential to lure more
\nvisitors.<\/p>\n
Today the museum, which sports Komodo or Varanus komodoensis
\nas its logo, exhibits 2,000 kinds of animals placed in 75 boxes
\nand 60 diorama windows. Some replicas of big animals are also
\ndisplayed in the 1,500-square-meter exhibition rooms.<\/p>\n
\"What we put in the exhibition rooms is only two percent of
\nour total collection. We do not have adequate display space to
\nexhibit all of the collection,\" Amir said, \"Besides, most of our
\ncollections are scientific which may not interest people in
\ngeneral.\"<\/p>\n
He added that there are more than 20,000 insects, 515 kinds of
\nmammals and 1,519 kinds of reptiles in the collection, which
\nincreases by two to three percent annually.<\/p>\n
Today there are 69 people working for the museum, but only 30
\nare scientists.<\/p>\n
\"Ideally, we are supposed to have around 200 scientists for
\nour scientific and museum collection,\" Sampurno said, adding that
\ngraduates of teachers' training institutes are also required to
\nprovide information for the exhibits.<\/p>\n
\"A museum has an educational function. We hope that people
\nleave this building with something to enrich their lives.
\nTherefore, we must have educationalists to cooperate with artists
\nand zoologists in presenting our collection. Unfortunately we
\ndon't even have an educationalist here,\" said Sampurno, who has
\nworked for the museum since 1955 and is going to retire at the
\nend of this month.<\/p>\n
He added that volunteers are also needed in order to give more
\ninformation to visitors.<\/p>\n
Sampurno also believes that the private sector should pay more
\nattention to the museum.<\/p>\n
\"During the Dutch colonial time this museum received the
\nsupport of private companies, so why not now?\" Sampurno said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bogor-museum-needs-serious-attention-1447893297",
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