Plants and deer gorillas, murals

My nieces and nephews have asked me to convey to you our horror and despair at reading that the plants and deer at the Bogor Botanical Gardens and Palace are under threat due to pollution of the Gunting pond, which is the main water source for the gardens.

We call upon the Bogor administration to immediately take measures to prevent pollution of the Gunting pond and to ensure a clean supply of water to the gardens and palace grounds. If it cannot do so at once then we implore the West Java Regional Council to declare a state of emergency straight away and ask the Central Government to send it all necessary technical assistance. All military assistance too, if need be.

The gardens, which are nearly 200 years old, are a national treasure and the deer have been and continue to be a source of joy to generations of rich and poor children alike.

On the matter of the gorillas at Ragunan Zoo, had we been asked we would have said that bringing the gorillas to Indonesia was misguided. It would have been better to spend that amount of money on schools and health centers. But now that it is already done and the gorillas are here we cannot help but confess to a mounting sense of anticipation.

Please could Ragunan Zoo announce the exact date that the public can see them? We are all aware that in the sequence of human evolution we are more closely related to gorillas and chimpanzees than to orangutans and gibbons. It is so exciting!

Finally, at the Jl. Gatot Subroto and Jl. Tendean intersection, street artists have produced such beautiful paintings of animals and plants and we love looking at them so much. Could Governor Sutiyoso let the masterpieces remain for at least a few months so that we can enjoy them, especially on a Monday?

T. ALISJAHBANA

Executive Director

Indonesian Archives

Building, Jakarta