Komodos from Indonesia capture Czech President at Prague Zoo
Veeramalla Anjaiah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Indonesia's Komodo dragons -- the world's rarest and largest lizard species -- recently captured the heart of the Czech Republic's President Vaclav Klaus.
President Klaus -- an ardent nature lover -- was at the Prague Zoo on Nov. 29 to inaugurate the Indonesian Pavilion, Indoneska Zungle or Indonesian Jungle. The animals at the pavilion - including orangutans, macaque monkeys, various species of birds and fish, but especially the Komodo dragons -- greatly impressed the president.
"The zoo director Petr Fejk told me that President Klaus was scheduled to spend only 15 minutes at the zoo, but he canceled some of his official engagements and stayed there for more than one hour," Leonard Tobing, the former Ambassador of Indonesia to Czech Republic, told The Jakarta Post.
Leonard was at the inauguration of the Indonesian Jungle in Prague.
The zoo exhibit has opened a new chapter between Indonesia and the Czech Republic.
"This pavilion is a symbol of the cooperation between Indonesia and the Czech Republic. And the power of this symbol is the Komodo dragon - this very endangered animal from Indonesia. There was only one way to get this animal. It was only through the President of the Czech Republic," Fejk, who rebuilt the Prague Zoo from scratch after it was hit by the worst flooding in five hundred years in August 2002, told the Radio Prague. More than 100 animals were killed and hundreds more were evacuated to a safer places.
Czech Ambassador to Indonesia Jaroslav Vesely said President Klaus thanked Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for his government's help in establishing the Indonesian Jungle in Prague.
With 1,500 animals, marine creatures and plants, the US$7.5 million (6 million euros) Indonesian Jungle is not only the biggest pavilion, but also the main attraction at the zoo, Vesely explained. Vesely also attended the inauguration of the Indonesian Jungle along with several Czech ministers and his Indonesian counterpart.
"There are about 2,500 animals belonging to over 500 species in the zoo. So more than half of the zoo's animals are at the Indonesian Pavilion," Vesely told the Post on Monday
"Ever since the arrival of Komodos, the number of visitors to the zoo jumped significantly," said Ahmad Adnan, a staff member at the Indonesian Embassy in Prague who was in Jakarta recently.
Ahmad said he had visited the zoo at least four times this year.
It took Ambassador Vesely almost 10 months to get two Komodos from Taman Safari animal park in Bogor.
"The credit goes to the Czech ambassador who worked hard to make this project a success. Taman Safari and Prague Zoo eventually signed a sister zoo cooperation agreement. We donated two rare Komodo dragons and the Prague Zoo will give us unique tortoises," Taman Safari director Jansen Manansang said at a gathering to celebrate the success of Indonesian Jungle held recently at the Czech Ambassador's residence in Jakarta.
Situated on a hillside on the right bank of Vlatava River, the Prague Zoo, which originally opened in 1931, spreads over an area of 64 hectares.
"Earlier, the zoo was well-known for breeding the rare Przewalski horse. Thanks to Komodos, now the zoo is very popular among not only Czech people but also other European nationals who visit Prague as tourists," Vesely said.
Vesely said around two million people have visited the zoo this year.
The Czech media also did a lot of reporting on the Indonesian Jungle.
"This is the biggest project in the history of Czech zoos ... a very special project, because for example the roof, made of glass and metal, is very original as is the interior. In this pavilion the most important thing is not just the animals but above all the feeling of the place. The feeling is "the jungle" the tropical climate, and for example plants from this area, and the feeling that visitors can get inside of this atmosphere," Radio Prague's Jan Velinger said.
The dragons and the pavilion could also mean tourism boost for Indonesia, as Europeans see it and decide to take a real trip to Indonesia.
"The pavilion and komodos are not only good publicity for Prague Zoo, but also for Indonesia. I think this Indonesian Jungle will generate an interest among Czech people to visit Indonesia and see for themselves the beauty of this nation," Vesely said while adding that the Czech Republic and Indonesia enjoy good and cordial relations.