Monas park to welcome ten deer next month
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The city administration is scheduled to transfer 10 spotted deer from the Bogor presidential palace in Bogor, West Java to the National Monument (Monas) square in Central Jakarta on May 22.
Hadi S. Alikodra, the coordinator of the team tasked to handle the relocation of the animals, said on Thursday all preparations, including the 2.5-hectare site at Monas square, had been completed.
"Everything is OK., we have also received the permit from the state secretary to move the deer from Bogor presidential palace," Alikodra told the press after meeting with Governor Sutiyoso.
Alikodra, who is an expert on the wild Javanese ox from the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB), was hired by the city administration to coordinate the team tasked with preparing the release of the deer at Monas grounds.
The idea to release the 10 deer -- eight doe and two males -- came from Governor Sutiyoso following the completion of his controversial project to fence Monas.
The deer settlement has also alarmed many, as experts have questioned whether a crowded area like Monas is a suitable place for such sensitive animals. Sutiyoso has ignored the warnings, saying the plan has been approved by experts.
Alikodra also revealed the plan of the city administration to take two male deer from India, as part of the efforts to improve the genes of the animals, who have been inbred since they were placed in the grounds of the Bogor palace in 1911.
"We hope that the Indian deer will arrive in Jakarta next year," he added.
Five hectares of land or 5 percent of Monas square has been prepared for the deer. Some 1.5 hectares of it has been planted with grass expected to be the source of food for the animals, which consume between five kilograms and seven kilograms of grass per day.
As explained in the paper prepared for the meeting, some 3.2 hectares of the area has been planted with trees to provide shelter from both from the sun and rain.
Alikodra said that although Monas only needed 10 deer, the team would catch some 20 deer, from which 10 would be selected. The deer will be placed in plywood boxes and then taken to a quarantine room.
The deer will be tranquilized to prevent injury in case they try to escape from the boxes.
Before being taken to Jakarta, the animals will be kept in a room measuring 2.2 meters wide and 53 meters long at the Bogor palace for three days. This is expected to help reduce the stress of the relocation.
The deer will be taken to Jakarta at 10 p.m. to avoid traffic congestion. The vehicles carrying them will travel at around 60 kilometers per hour to avoid sudden braking during the journey.
After reaching Monas, the animals will be kept in another area for two days to prepare them to adjust to the new place.