Taman Safari's Hadi Manansang dies at 87

Taman Safari's Hadi Manansang dies at 87

Pat Irving, Taman Safari Indonesia, Bogor, West Java

As light slowly dawned over a mist-shrouded Mount Pangrango on
Sunday morning, there was a buzz of activity at Taman Safari
Indonesia as a television crew prepared to broadcast live from
the park's animal hospital.

However, behind the bright lights and the on-air antics of a
very naughty bear cub, a pall of gloom was gathering.

The many staff members who awoke well before dawn to help
prepare for the show, and also to serve breakfast to journalists
attending a conservation-awareness seminar at the park, had
received very sad tidings. As more staff appeared, they shared
the seemingly unbelievable news: Pak Hadi Manansang was dead.

Pak Hadi was more than a father to Taman Safari Indonesia
(TSI)'s three directors -- Jansen Manansang, Frans Manansang and
Tony Sumampau -- he was a much-loved and respected figure to the
850-plus staff of the brothers' business enterprise.

Although 87, and with some history of health problems, Pak
Hadi's death was unexpected and sent shock waves through the
ranks of the assembling staff.

A vital part of the wildlife park's activities right up until
his death, Pak Hadi's bright and alert demeanor belied his age.

Among his many personal projects for the organization, none
gave him more satisfaction -- or brought more joy to visitors --
than his enthusiastic fostering of young people and their
talents. To many of TSI's young acrobats, for example, he was a
much-loved father figure.

Taman Safari Indonesia has a well-earned reputation as a world
leader in the conservation and preservation of wildlife, but Pak
Hadi's beginnings were humble by comparison.

Born in Shanghai, China, on Aug. 13, 1916, he later earned an
enviable reputation as a remarkably agile and flamboyant acrobat.
He toured the world displaying his exacting craft, before
founding Indonesia's Oriental Circus. His sons have many memories
of life as an integral part of this country's most popular
traveling circus.

When the popularity of the circus started to wane in the
1970s, the brothers shared with their father their dream of
developing a wildlife park. In him they found not only a willing
supporter, but a vital mentor for what was a daring and
imaginative project.

Taman Safari Indonesia opened in 1986, and the family was able
to use their special skills -- their love of wildlife and their
profound and hard-won knowledge of animal behavior -- to focus on
a unique blend of conservation, entertainment and animal
husbandry, which has been slowly developed into the thriving and
multifaceted business that it is today.

Pak Hadi was a man with many rare talents, not least among
them his capacity to explore new horizons.

Just a few months ago, for example, he took it upon himself to
learn English. A daunting task even for a younger, less busy
person, he took to it with his usual relish. He somehow found
time in each crowded day to absorb taped instructions, listen to
English-language news broadcasts and study newspapers written in
the chosen language with the careful approach for which he was
well-known.

He was also a man with an astonishing ability to really
communicate across generations. He still enjoyed the company of
three friends with whom he attended school in China, and they
often could be seen enjoying very animated discussions about a
vast range of topics, well versed as the group was in the latest
developments on the world's stage.

At the other extreme, he developed a close relationship with
many, many very young people. These he took under his wing,
providing much needed emotional support, lashings of gruff old-
fashioned love and an all important material start in life.

He also had an endearing way of making people feel comfortable
and welcome, including -- perhaps especially -- those far from
their own families and adjusting to a new culture.

Still an inveterate traveler, he visited many countries in
recent years and made annual visits to the country of his birth,
accompanied by one of his sons -- and, on his most recent visit,
by grandchildren.

Fiercely independent -- he had lived alone since his wife died
several years ago -- he nevertheless held his family as the most
important constant in his life. He loved having them join him for
Saturday evening dinners at the big new house he had built high
up in the park's interior.

He took a keen interest in the many and varied activities of
his three sons and their wives and also followed the fortunes of
his nine grandchildren -- who live on three continents -- with
pride and a great deal of satisfaction.

The humble man who spawned one of Indonesia's most famous
tourist attractions and the world's most important guardian of
Indonesian wildlife, would not have foreseen the depth of sadness
at his passing. But as Sunday progressed at Taman Safari
Indonesia, it was obvious that -- while the staff were following
the old circus adage "the show must go on" -- for Pak Hadi's
family and the many employees, the show has lost more than a
little of its sparkle and glitter, the music just a dash of its
joy.

But the crowds continued to pour in through the gates, unaware
of the loss suffered by those at Taman Safari Indonesia. They
came to enjoy, to wonder, to learn, to create joyful memories:
Perhaps the most fitting tribute of all to a grand old man.