Sanctuary puts the beast back into animals
Sanctuary puts the beast back into animals
Lenita Sulthani, Reuters/Cikananga, Sukambumi
Looking irritated, animal trainer Alen tries to ignore the loud
shrieks of "good morning" coming from white cockatoos in an
outdoor cage.
"Please don't answer them," said Alen, walking past other
exotic birds such as Javanese eagles and birds of paradise at an
animal rescue shelter in Indonesia's West Java.
"We are training the animals to be wild here."
The birds are among 1,300 protected animals in the sanctuary
run by a non-governmental group trying to reduce Indonesia's
rampant illegal trade in wildlife.
The Cikananga Animal Rescue Center tries to help animals
regain their natural instincts to allow their return to the wild.
But if two Sumatran tigers awaiting a meal of raw goat meat are
any indication, Alen and his team face a challenge.
"Once we gave the tigers live goats, but instead of attacking
the goats, they were afraid of them," Alen, who uses only one
name, said pointing at one of the sleepy eyed tigers, whose mood
appeared more like that of a house cat than a dangerous predator.
Indonesia is home to some of the world's rarest animals and
has tough regulations aimed at protecting them, yet the
population is dwindling.
Although Indonesia signed the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES)
almost three decades ago, endemic corruption means environmental
laws are flouted or ignored.
"It's difficult to get accurate data on how many endangered
animals were being traded and smuggled from Indonesia," said
Suparno of ProFauna, a local animal protection group. "Our
investigation shows up to 1,000 animals per year."
Many of the orangutans, Sumatran tigers, Javanese rhinos and
birds at Cikananga were illegally kept as domestic pets by anyone
from high ranking officials to business tycoons.
The animals were status symbols, trained and domesticated --
the white cockatoos can even utter greetings in Arabic.
Getting them into the sanctuary is a battle both against their
powerful owners and bureaucracy.
Suparno said owners were rarely charged once animals were
seized. "We have weak law enforcement here. They can easily buy
animals again," he said.
'Organized crime'
Many endangered species are traded or smuggled for use as
house pets while stuffed rare animals end up in living rooms of
the wealthy as house decorations. Many are smuggled abroad.
"It's difficult to stop illegal trading of animals. In this
country, it has become an organized crime," said Budiharto, a
spokesman for the Cikananga center.
At the center, located in thick forest about 156 kilometers
south of Jakarta, animals go through a multi-step process before
being declared ready to return to their natural habitat, away
from the support of their human keepers.
When animals are first brought in they are moved into
specially designed cages that replicate their natural
environment.
They eat what they would normally hunt or forage for in the
jungle, while human contact is limited. As their natural
instincts develop, the animals are moved to a giant enclosure
that also aims to re-create their usual environment.
Run by local and international volunteers, the center relies
on private donations and gets help from local people who provide
food for the animals.
One program allows donors to "foster" animals by providing
money for their food and other necessities.
Budiharto said the center had been overcrowded for some time
as deforestation made it difficult to find habitats for some
animals to return to.
Indonesia has the world's worst deforestation rate and some
environmental groups estimate that a forested area the size of
Switzerland is being lost every year.
For some of the animals, like the exotic birds, being in the
sanctuary can be better than a return to the wild.
"It's not easy to release the birds. When we release them
people are going to shoot them or trap them again," said French
volunteer Cyril Blin.
REUTERS
GetRTR 3.00 -- AUG 3, 2005 10:19:11