Breeding, a profitable way to save deer
Ridlo Aryanto, Contributor, Yogyakarta
Deer breeding has become common in Yogyakarta since the introduction of roast venison on the menu of a five-star hotel on Jl. Parangtritis last year.
With the growing demand for venison dishes from foreign visitors, especially the Japanese and French, the supply of meat from local breeders has proved to be insufficient, forcing the hotel to offer the delicacy only once a week.
A number of cafes in the Prawirotaman area, which is popular among backpackers, have now also put deer meat on their menus, in spite of the uncertain deliveries.
Some deer species, like the Java deer (cervus timorensis russa), are classified as endangered species and are protected by law.
The Ministry of Agriculture in 1990 issued a decree allowing the breeding of deer for commercial purposes.
The overwhelming interest, however, led to another decree by the Ministry of Forestry regulating the requirements and criteria for companies or community groups to be allowed to breed deer.
It seems that the government has not yet fully permitted unrestricted deer breeding because although the agriculture ministry allows it, the forestry ministry restricts the groups or individuals who can acquire breeding stock, which for the moment is monopolized by official agencies under this ministry.
"Though deer breeding has been allowed for 12 years and public interest is high, none of the companies involved has succeeded in undertaking large-scale breeding operations due to various constraints, such as the lack of information on breeding methods and the strict supply of deer breeding stock, now the subject of a government monopoly," said Sunaring Kurniandaru, a deer researcher from the biology school of Yogyakarta's Atmajaya University.
Breeders in the Keparakan Kidul and Kulon Progo areas are unable to meet the demand for venison from restaurants in Yogyakarta as a doe has only two calves per year while a newborn calf can only be consumed after six months. At a rate of two deer being slaughtered daily, 60 are needed monthly, which is a difficult figure to reach as only five breeders are allowed per village.
Sutomo, a breeder from Keparakan, epitomizes the problems facing many breeders due to lack of money. The breeding deer allocated to him by the forestry administrative unit in Playen, Gunungkidul regency, had to be sold to a hotel for meat, while they should have been kept for breeding. At the age of 12 months, a healthy male deer can sire 2 to 3 calfs from a female in nine months.
"The stocks available are not yet sufficient, with the official breeding centers of Ranca Upas-Bandung, Malang and Ngawi -- both in East Java -- capable of supplying only 10,000 head per year, as against the demand which is five times that much. Meanwhile, artificial insemination is too costly," said Budiani of the Yogyakarta provincial office of husbandry.
Sunaring suggested that the deer produced by zoos all over Java also be made available as breeding stock. "If this is handled by private companies under government regulation, the target of conserving various deer species while earning foreign exchange through venison exports could soon become a reality. It is essential that the forestry ministry now lay down the necessary rules," he concluded.