Glad to be saviors for endangered wildlife
Glad to be saviors for endangered wildlife
Suganya Naidu, Contributor, Jakarta
As conservationists around the country desperately seek political
recognition and economic aid for orangutan rehabilitation
programs, children in the Jakarta vicinity undertake a similar
but creative approach into securing the future of these primates.
As part of its annual social service project, students from
Pondok Indah Elementary (PIE), Pattimura Elementary (PEL) and the
Jakarta International Middle School (JIMS) in Cilandak, South
Jakarta, engage in a four-hour walk-a-thon on campus, collecting
sponsorial funds for every lap completed. The fund-raising
activity generates millions of rupiah, intended for donations to
the city's Ragunan Zoo and its orangutan rehabilitation efforts.
The number of orangutans in the latter's shelter has doubled
during this year, increasing the demand for food drives to help
out the administrators. Milk powder, seasonal fruits and
vegetables are brought by the children to the center, where
interaction with these curious creatures provides an enriching
learning experience.
Environmentalists say the orangutan, found nowhere else in the
world but Kalimantan and Sumatra, faces extinction because of the
government's failure to enforce strict laws against illegal
logging and prevention of forest fires. The animals have been
driven from their natural habitat; those that manage to escape
fires flee to areas populated by people, where they are often
eaten or kept as pets in cruel circumstances.
The lucky few are brought to the rehabilitation centers.
"I love orangutans, they are so cute. I don't mind doing it
for them," says sixth grader Mickey Jensen, one of the
participants in the walk.
In addition to contributions in the locality, the schools
extend their support for ventures of non-governmental
rehabilitation centers in Sumatra and Kalimantan.
"In the future, these funds should also be used to offer a
university scholarship to the child of an Indonesian staff at
Jakarta International School to study biology or primates,
encouraging the individual to continue helping the Indonesian
rehabilitation program. That is the dream," said head of the
OrangaWalk, Robert Weber.
Despite extensive measures to save them, the zoo's
rehabilitation efforts are sometimes criticized in that high
human-dependence and immediate provision of sustenance makes the
return of these primates to their natural habitats a highly risky
venture. Zoo authorities are concerned about their adaptation to
forest-life after dwelling in captivity in Jakarta.
"As students, we are supposed to do whatever we can to help
these poor creatures," said eighth grader Akane Omori.
Not only does the scheme benefit the orangutans, but funds and
donations including clothing, bedding and toys are also supplied
to Yayasan Kampus Diakoneia Modern (KDM) in Jakarta, which
accommodates homeless children ranging from toddlers to
teenagers.
"Half the students help out with sorting and packing of
clothes and bedding while the other half go off to purchase books
for constructing a proper library in that place," said Webber.
"Not only does it fulfill the social service criterion, it is
also a mean of assessing the kids' mathematical skills when they
go off on their own."
Over the years, the OrangaWalk has reaped countless benefits
on behalf of these primates as well as having taught the
ecological value of the endangered species to the young
generation.
The writer is a final-year student at Jakarta International
Schooland is reporter/managing editor for the quarterly high
school magazine, Feedback.