Apes to arrive after New Year

JAKARTA: Ragunan Zoo is hoping to welcome the long-awaited gorillas, to be lent by a park in the U.K., after the New Year.

The zoo's operational director Allen Marbun said he did not know exactly when the four gorillas would arrive even though the zoo management had prepared everything, including enclosures for the apes.

Marbun said he could not contact the Gibbon foundation, which is arranging the lending of the giant apes, as the local director, Willie Smits, was away in Europe.

"Pak Willie is still in Europe, probably taking care of the gorillas," Marbun said.

The low-land African gorillas are to be lent by U.K.-based Howletts and Port Lympne Animal Park.

All the male gorillas were initially scheduled to arrive in Jakarta in early September, but this was delayed several times due to various reasons including security concerns after the Sept. 11 terror attacks in the U.S., and controversy over the Rp 3.2 billion that had been allocated by the city administration to annually feed and maintain the animals. The gibbon foundation had later stated that it would pay for the meals. -- JP