Cemetery available for beloved pets

JAKARTA (JP): A bouquet of fresh red roses lay on top of a tiny grave. The lovely bouquet had been placed there by the bereaved owner of the grave's occupant.

Owner? Yes. The grave was that of a dog buried in the Jakarta Pet Hospital's animal cemetery.

Located right in front of the hospital in the Ragunan area, South Jakarta, the cemetery is built to cater to animal owners' wishes to provide the best "final resting place" to their beloved pets.

The plots in the cemetery, Taman Pusara Hewan, can be rented from the hospital's management. It costs Rp 50,000 (about US$22) for six months, or Rp 100,000 ($45) per year.

Another burial site, located to the right of the hospital, is also available for people who are not too attached to, or cannot afford to spend too much for the burial of their pets, or those who want to bury dead animals they find in the street. There is no contract system imposed at this cemetery. To bury your a pet there, you simply pay a set fee and leave your pet for burial. A small piece of land which can accommodate a cat will cost Rp 25,000. A larger plot costs a bit more.

The services at Taman Pusara Hewan are more extensive. There the graves are marked by nice headstones, some of which are made of marble. These gravestones bear the names of the pets buried there, or the names of the owners and the pets' dates of birth and death. Some also record the pedigrees of the animals.

Common names for dogs are Browney, Blacky, Bella and Pixy, while for cats there are Pussy and Miu, according to Wiwiek Bagdja W., director of the Jakarta Pet Hospital.

Most of the pets buried at this cemetery are not forgotten. Take Sancho, a dog, for example. The bouquet of red roses was left by Sancho's owner. Many people keep visiting their pet's graves, cleaning them and showering them with flowers. Some Japanese people even put the pets' favorite food on the tomb, Wiwiek said.

Some hold burial ceremonies with ritual services, including prayers and songs, some prefer to bury their beloved pets in serenity and quietness without any ceremony. But all of these people have something in common: The need to express the feeling that the pet was a worthy being and a beloved friend. (als)