Animal rescue center lacks funds, relies heavily on donations

Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Bogor

Financial constraints and the low professionalism of staff are only some of the major problems faced by the Cikananga Animal Rescue Center in Sukabumi, West Java.

Head of the West Java Natural Resources Conservation Office (BKSDA), Suyatno Sukendar, told the press here on Wednesday that the rescue center needed around Rp 40 million (US$4,762) per month to feed around 1,400 animals at the center.

"To fulfill the monthly needs of the animals, we have been relying on donations from sponsors and animal lovers. We have also received financial assistance from Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands," he said.

"The government can't afford to provide any more for us. The routine budget we get at the moment is only enough to cover our operational costs, particularly law enforcement and the seizure of wild animals kept by individuals as pets."

There are around 1,400 animals at the rescue center comprising primates and other mammals, reptiles and birds. Most of them were confiscated from their owners during operations between 2000 and November 2003, but some were handed over voluntarily.

"Our biggest expense is providing food for the carnivores, including four lions, a Sumatran tiger, four panthers, 20 crocodiles and three wild cats," Suyatno said.

"Everyday, except Sundays, officers at the rescue center must buy five goats to feed them," he said, adding that each animal gets an average of four kilograms of meat.

The officers must also buy a truck full of fruit every two days to feed the primates and the birds.

However, the expense could be reduced if some animals were to be released back into their native habitats in national parks or conservation centers.

Besides the financial constraints, the officers at the rescue center also suffer from a lack of professional training.

"The officers must increase their knowledge of various species. Wild animals are completely different from cattle. We can easily study goats because we can breed them but it's difficult to handle rhinos, for instance, because we rarely see their behavior. Our knowledge of wild animals is very limited," Suyatno said.

The West Java conservation office hopes that there will be no more wild or endangered animals being kept by individuals within five years.