Jakarta will have most expensive gorillas in most expensive enclosure

By Muninggar Sri Saraswati

JAKARTA (JP): Jurassic Park. That might be your first impression when you look at the gorilla enclosure under construction now in Ragunan Zoo, South Jakarta.

Its entrance gate, high tech-designed dome, green spiral- shaped plastic plants on its ceiling, and reliefs of primate figures on its walls have helped reinforce such an impression.

Although it is still being constructed, the enclosure, which is located on a one-hectare site, shows every indication of being a luxurious one.

Claimed to be the largest of its kind in the world, the Rp 10 billion (about US$1.1 million) enclosure will have a walkway and playground so that visitors will be able to see the gorillas clearly from a short distance.

You should not be worried about your safety as there is a deep canal that separates the walkway from the gorillas' playground. And to prevent them from escaping, the zoo will also build an electrified fence around the playground.

But the gorillas are still in Britain. They are expected to arrive here later this month and will be put in the enclosure on Sept. 6.

The gorillas, named Kihi, Kimbou, Kijou and Komou, can only understand English since they were born and grew up in England. They are reportedly still under-age, between four and six years old.

The grand enclosure has been constructed by courtesy of the late Mrs. Puck Schmutzer, who mandated Willie Smits in her will to build a gorilla enclosure and bring here several gorillas from England.

Smits is Mrs. Schmutzer's old friend who is also the director of the Gibbon Foundation, which oversees conservation of the primates in Kalimantan.

During her lifetime, Mrs. Schmutzer used to say that she loved animals since they never betrayed her. She was known as an animal lover who became involved in the treatment of some animals in Ragunan zoo during her lifetime.

It might explain why she left a huge amount of money for the sake of the animals. The funds have been used in part to build the enclosure.

The first-class enclosure has been developed to fulfill one stipulation from the Howletts and Port Lympne Animal Park, which will lend its four gorillas to Ragunan zoo. It is designed to ensure that the gorillas can live comfortably there.

Howletts Animal Park made a number of strict conditions for Ragunan zoo before deciding to lend it the gorillas, according to Peter Litchfield, the Park's collections director.

Beforehand, Howletts made intensive enquiries, particularly about the proposed environment of the primates' new home.

The observation was mainly focused on Pseudomonas mellitus, a dangerous kind of bacteria that might kill the gorillas.

Smits claims that Howletts had rejected the request of Singapore and the Philippines to borrow the gorillas because of that factor.

Howletts have also trained an official of Ragunan zoo in England for nine months to learn about looking after the gorillas. Darma, the official, is now able to communicate with the gorillas.

Litchfield told The Jakarta Post that Howletts will "lend" the gorillas for one year initially, but if their health deteriorates, Howletts will return them to England.

"We don't mean to send them here to die," he remarked, adding that Howletts was concerned about the well-being of the gorillas.

Darma will be responsible for looking after them, including their food. About 70 kinds of fruit and 30 kinds of vegetable will be on the gorillas' menu. Also, Howletts has made some recipes for them.

The fruit, vegetables and other kinds of food should be fresh, to avoid the gorillas suffering from stomachache. To protect them from contagious disease, Ragunan Zoo will ban visitors from giving them food.

After their arrival, Howletts will continue monitoring the primates, directly from England, by means of a web-cam installed in the gorillas' pen.

Darma is also required to make a weekly report to Howletts about the gorillas' health and activities.

The gorillas will be under the supervision of a Ragunan veterinarian and a primate study center in Bogor, West Java. A veterinarian from England will also examine the gorillas three times a year.

They will be protected from depression by visitors being banned from taking their picture or touching them.

You might think that Howletts' conditions are just too much. But this is about preserving four gorillas worth US$1 million, which are rarely found in the wild. "And Mrs. Schmutzer wanted to show how to treat animals in a correct and loving way," Smits concluded.