Bandung zoo struggles to survive on its own

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung

Every time a holiday comes around, Jl. Tamansari, the road leading to Bandung Zoo, becomes one of the roads that Adi Marsiela, 23, a resident of Jl. Setiabudi, and most other Bandung residents, avoid at all costs due to the chronic congestion at the Jl. Ganesha intersection.

"It's usually chaotic at weekends but becomes completely crazy during the school, New Year and Idul Fitri holidays. It's still crowded even a week after Idul Fitri. Even motorcycles can't get through due to number of vehicles, especially buses from out of town, parked along the road's shoulders," said Adi.

Among the various tourist attractions in Bandung and its surrounding areas, the zoo is the place visited most frequently by local tourists. Established in 1930, the 14-hectare zoo attracts up to 60,000 visitors a day during the Idul Fitri holidays.

The zoo has more than 1 million visitors a year. Up to the end of July, the number of visitors stood at more than 548,000.

They come from various places around Bandung, like Garut, Tasikmalaya, Subang and Sumedang, and even further afield, such as from Cianjur, Sukabumi, Purwakarta and Karawang.

Meanwhile, entrepreneurial folk from the outskirts of the city -- places like Lembang, Soreang, Majalaya and Sumedang -- avail of the opportunity provided by the influx of visitors by providing horse rides and horse-drawn buggy trips.

The providers of these services operate along Jl. Tamansari, Jl. Ganesha and Jl. Gelap Nyawang.

Iis Risnaeni, 30, the mother of a three-year-old girl from Karawang, for instance, acknowledged that she and her family usually took a trip to the zoo every time she visited her parents' house in the outskirts of Bandung.

"It's a tradition, especially during the Idul Fitri holidays, when my seven brothers and sisters gather at our parents' place in Bandung. The children love the animals. And there are lots of grassy places to have a picnic," said Iis.

Another reason that makes the zoo their favorite recreation place is the affordability of the entrance tickets. For Rp 6,000 (66 U.S. cents) per person, one can enjoy the cool climate in an upland part of Bandung, the sound of birds chirping and the antics of the animals.

For an additional Rp 5,000, the visitor can enjoy an elephant or camel ride.

Head curator Effy Sofianty said that there was nothing special about the zoo's collection of animals compared to other zoos in Indonesia.

"As usual, we have elephants, giraffes, lions, tigers, snakes, various species of birds, and many other animals," she said.

There are more than 2,300 animals representing 228 species, which are divided into four categories; mammals, reptiles, apes and fish.

But there are only five veterinarians and two assistants to keep track of the animals' health.

Several of the zoo's animals are old and no longer attractive in appearance. Visitors usually express their pity upon seeing Merry, an elephant in her 70s.

It's Merry that Iis most remembers when talking about the zoo. "She's still there after all those years since I was in elementary school," she said.

According to Effy, the oldest animal in the zoo is a crocodile called Dhenok, which is around 80 years old.

The zoo has two animals unique to West Java, the Surili, a type of white monkey (presditis comata), and the Kancra Dewa fish from Kuningan (labeobarbuis dourenensis).

The zoo, owned and managed by the Margasatwa Tamansari Foundation, realizes that it is no longer large enough, especially during peak times. The asset, located in a strategic commercial area in the north of Bandung, represents prime development land.

Many organizations have expressed interest in acquiring it. The Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) once suggested that it should take over the zoo and turn it into a "living biology laboratory". In exchange, the zoo would be given land belonging to the institute in Jatinangor, Sumedang, amounting to some 143 hectares in area, or 10 times bigger than the zoo's current grounds.

However, the plan came to naught and as things stand the foundation has to run the zoo on its own without any financial or other assistance from the Bandung municipality.