Sutiyoso vows to make Ragunan Zoo inviting

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso pledged yesterday to make the Ragunan Zoo in South Jakarta a better place for recreation and nature conservation despite the economic crisis.

"I want this zoo to be a more attractive place. This is important because if more people visit it, we will make more money from ticket sales," Sutiyoso said during a visit to the zoo.

The government has included developing a six-hectare lagoon, a food court and an animal exchange program with Yokohama Zoo in Japan among the improvement projects it has floated.

The governor said that the city budget for Ragunan Zoo had been reduced due to monetary woes.

"I understand this is very hard for the zoo because the animals have to be fed as usual but their food is becoming more expensive.

"Tigers, lions and komodos, for instance, need a lot of meat every day, but even people don't eat meat during these difficult times," he said.

Official statistics show that 2.7 million people visited the zoo last year.

Ragunan Zoo was built in 1964 to accommodate animals relocated from Cikini Zoo in Central Jakarta, which the government considered too small to develop.

From an initial site of 85 hectares, Ragunan Zoo has expanded to cover 135 hectares today.

Considered among Asia's best, the zoo has a collection of more than 4,000 animals from 300 species.

The zoo is renowned for its collection of rare species, which include komodos (giant lizards), Sumatran tigers and orangutans. The zoo currently houses 12 orangutans aged between two and 30 years.

Sutiyoso said to cope with the crisis, the administration was considering raising ticket prices which are currently set at Rp 500 for children and Rp 1,000 for adults.

"I think we need to raise prices a little bit," he said.

Ragunan Zoo acts as a conservation site, educational center and research facility, in addition to its recreational use. The 135 hectare site also serves as a water catchment area, Sutiyoso said.

Sutiyoso revealed the city planned to set up a food shop inside the zoo because the ubiquitous kiosks within and outside the complex spoil the scenery.

Zoo manager Atje Dimjati Salfifi told reporters that the city administration had allocated only Rp 3 billion (US$300,000) to the zoo for the 1998/99 financial year. The budget for the current fiscal year is Rp 5 billion.

"Every month we spend Rp 1.5 billion on food for the animals. This excludes maintenance fees, renovation projects, salaries and other routine expenses," Atje said.

He said that the zoo has stopped importing kangaroo meat from Australia because of the crisis.

"Before the crisis, a kilogram of kangaroo meat cost Rp 6,000 but it is now 200 percent more expensive."

In a bid to cope with the crisis, feeding intervals have been prolonged.

"For instance, tigers usually eat 5 kilograms of meat per day. Now we feed them once every two days with the same quantity of meat."

He said the number of visitors to the zoo had dropped significantly since the monetary crisis first started to bite, and particularly during the past two months, but he was unable to provide figures. (edt)