'Officials tried to make money from gorillas'

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Four gorillas from Howlett and Port Lymphne Animal Park in Kent, England finally arrived in the city's Ragunan Zoo in South Jakarta after an extended public discourse due to the city administration's plan to use a budget allocation of several billions of rupiah per year for their food, while the England- based Gibbon Foundation already said that it would cover the food expenses for the gorillas here for the next three years. What do the people have to say about the city's fuzzy math?

Vanda, 31, an employee of a private company in Kuningan, South Jakarta. She is an animal lover born in Jakarta.

"I'd love to see gorillas up close, because I've only seen them on television before. I heard that the pen is very luxurious. That's ok as it was built by people who love animals.

What makes me sad is that the administration has tried to use the gorillas to get billions of rupiah from the city budget, claiming that the money would be spent for their daily food. However, someone from a foreign foundation (The Gibbon Foundation), said that the foundation would be in charge of the expenses for the gorillas.

That means the administration plans to exploit the animals to siphon money from the city budget. The gorillas' owner must be skeptical doubt whether we could take care of the giant apes properly. Hopefully, the Ragunan Zoo management will take care of the gorillas well."

Tur Wahyudi, 42, is a security guard at a construction company on Jl. Puri Kencana, Kembangan, West Jakarta.

"What? Rp 10 billion only for a cage for gorillas. I cannot imagine. How easy they spent that huge amount of money. It'd be better for that money to be used for charity.

Many people need help. Many people are jobless. As a low income person, I've never dreamed of seeing that amount of money. It seems that our leaders have no idea that we are in an economic crisis.

Do they even know how little a poor person like me spends?"

Dedi Darmawan, 26, a consultant at a private company on Jl.H.R. Rasuna Said, South Jakarta. He lives in nearby Cilandak area, South Jakarta, and is a regular visitor to Ragunan Zoo.

"As a Jakartan, I warmly welcome the four gorillas, as they add to the collection of the zoo. More people are expected to visit the zoo to see the gorillas.

There are many things, including the preservation of nature, we can learn from the zoo. The gorillas, whose number has been decreasing over time, may inspire us to preserve rare animals or the nature in general.

But of course, the administration must not take advantage of the gorillas. They are innocent animals. Just make it simple. They could eat food that is available here instead of imported food. The most important thing is that we have to demonstrate our best effort to take care of them with our own hard work and ability."

Sisca, a mother of two children from Semarang, Central Java. She lives in Lenteng Agung, South Jakarta.

"I think the plan that the government is to allocate budget money for the gorillas at the zoo is excessive. It's totally ridiculous!

How could just the maintenance of such animals be worth billions of rupiah which derives from the city budget? As one of many Jakarta residents, I feel insulted by such a plan. It means that human beings are now disregarded and animals get their hall of fame.

The project is useless. The budget would be better utilized to help the poor survive in such an economic slump.

It seems to me that to become a good citizen, who always pays my taxes, is good for nothing as luxury treatment is given to animals. What a wasteful and ignorant project!" --JP