Sahabat Satwa roars for foreign donors and volunteers

Sahabat Satwa roars for foreign donors and volunteers

By Maria Kegel

JAKARTA (JP): Ragunan Zoo is quiet these days, and it's not
because the lions aren't roaring.

The numbers of volunteers from Sahabat Satwa (Friends of the
Zoo) have been disappearing since the crisis started, and they
have taken with them the lively atmosphere that used to prevail
around their activities at the zoo.

Expatriates have always played an essential part of the
nonprofit group at Ragunan Zoo since the group's establishment in
1990.

However, the downturn in the economy and political instability
have resulted in more expatriates leaving the country than coming
in, and that is worrying the remaining members.

Inge Zein, a special advisor to Sahabat Satwa's board, is
especially concerned about their departure from the group.

"It began with the crisis when half the expatriate members
left and continued leaving without any replacements coming in. We
are now left with trying to find active members or members who
really care about animals."

Together with the then director of Ragunan Zoo, Linus
Simanjuntak, a small group of expatriate women formally founded
the organization 10 years ago with a mission to increase public
awareness of Indonesia's diverse wildlife and to provide
additional support to improve the welfare of animals housed at
the zoo.

Since then, foreigners have played a key role in helping the
organization achieve its work, with expatriate housewives making
up 90 percent of the active volunteers, and 50 percent of the
"nonactive" volunteers, or those who support the group simply
enrolling as members.

But those were the old days. Now, there is only one expatriate
on the volunteer force.

"We are really trying hard to recruit Indonesian members, but
they are struggling in their daily lives with work and school.
And that's the difference: usually it's been expat wives who have
the time, money, their own transportation, friends and
connections with companies -- a whole network."

She explained that big companies were a past source of funding
as they usually had a reserve budget allocated for environmental
programs.

"And if we have a foreigner as a volunteer, perhaps from him
or her we can get a link to a major company."

Donations to Sahabat Satwa have severely dropped along with
the reduction in members, and Inge said there was no stable
amount coming in now.

And that is not good news for the animals which benefit from
the mealworm and mouse-breeding projects the group helps
maintain, or for the carnivores, including the endangered
Sumatran tiger, who depend on the group's efforts to help the zoo
meet the high cost of their all-meat diet.

Since the onset of the crisis, the zoo has faced problems in
meeting the cost of meat, which has also risen dramatically in
price.

"It (lack of funding) is affecting the animals a lot, not only
with feeding the big cats, but also the smaller things that are
needed, such as building shelters for the animals and improving
animals' enclosures. Even the mice, which are bred for the diet
of birds of prey and snakes, need cages as they reproduce
rapidly."

She said they had lost money from all different sources,
including from various charity bazaars.

"We used to get a good income from them as we were the only
vendors at the socials, but now when we join them there is so
much more competition," Inge said.

She said some donations go directly to the zoo, while some go
to the zoo through Sahabat Satwa. The most expensive things to
fund were the meat to feed the carnivores, and the vaccinations
for the animals.

There is also an urgent need to build cages and enclosures for
the animals at the zoo which are not on display. These animals,
Inge said, were dropped at the zoo by owners who bought them from
animal markets when they were small and cute, but later found
them unmanageable when they grew.

"At least 20 percent of the animals here at the zoo have been
dumped by owners -- that's a lot. That's why you can see the
cages are also overcrowded. Wild animals are not pets. People
don't realize that animals grow up and eat a lot of meat, which
is expensive, so they bring them here but there are no cages."

In addition, the group also helps the zoo's nursery where baby
animals rejected by their mother are raised. They supply formula,
food, towels and heating lamps.

The zoo management, which works directly with the group and
largely determines the ways in which it can help, wants Sahabat
Satwa to continue, Inge said.

"The management of Ragunan Zoo has been very helpful to us."

Foreigners have also meant a connection with the media, as
well as the international schools, allowing the group to educate
and promote a greater awareness of the zoo's inhabitants and the
group's functions.

"Reaching out to children is very important and we are now
really trying to get into schools to give them information about
the zoo and us."

There has also been a noticeable drop in school tours, and a
volunteer who has been the tour guide for visiting international
schools, Diana Ridgeway, is teaching Indonesian volunteers to be
guides.

"We need Indonesian volunteers to go to the schools as these
schools complain that we (the zoo) are so far away and to charter
a bus is so expensive, about Rp 1 million for a full day," Inge
said.

An active member, Jennifer Duginan Sugiyono, said it was just
as important to reach out to Indonesian schools.

"We are striving to reach the younger Indonesian generation,
as it's what stays here that counts. Expatriate students will go
home where they don't have these problems in a developed
country."

Not only do schools gain from the education and participation
of tours, but volunteers also benefit from studying the animals.

A third year university student at the Bogor Institute of
Agriculture (IPB), Dila, 21, enrolled in the group on Friday and
participated in the leaf-feeding program for primates, which
started at 10 a.m.

"I loved animals even before I became a student. And I am
becoming a member of the group so I can feel closer to the
animals and know that I am helping them."

She learned about the group and its activities during her
participation in a two-week practicum at Ragunan Zoo as part of
her veterinarian studies.

The bulk of current active volunteers are the younger
generation, whereas the older members are on the board, Inge
said.

"But they will soon be going back to school, and we'll have to
understand that (they won't be able to continue)."

Hopeless feeling

With a dwindling membership and an unstable source of funds,
Inge said at times she felt hopeless about the situation.

"It's been very sad for all the members. I've been here 10
years, and the others for about seven, so we've witnessed the
whole decline. Sometimes, I feel like I have to close Sahabat
Satwa because of a lack of active volunteers, which is the main
reason, but then I see the eyes of the animals. I also think of
the incredible efforts of the founding member, Ursula
Pangaribuan, who is a dedicated woman and gave all her time and
energy to start this organization. I wouldn't be able to sleep at
night (if the organization was closed)."

Jennifer added that the group was struggling just like
everyone else was.

"We're struggling for the animals. Directly or indirectly,
they will lose the benefits (we give them), but it would be very
sad for the people to lose the opportunity to learn about them,"
Jennifer added.

If you are interested in helping Sahabat Satwa, please contact
Devi at the Friends of the Zoo office at telephone/fax: 780-6164.