Zoo wall brings protests

BANDUNG, West Java: Members of the Indonesian Architects Association (IAI) and conservation group Bandung Heritage are protesting the construction of a wall surrounding the zoo.

The zoo's management a fortnight ago began chopping down a wire and plant hedge surrounding the zoo located on Jl. Tamansari, and built a three-meter tall wall instead.

"Bandung needs city woodland in line with its concept as a garden city. The zoo has been the forest. The walls only ruin the view and exclude the zoo from the public," IAI member Dibyo Hartono who is also a member of Bandung Heritage told The Jakarta Post.

He added that based on building regulations the wall's height should not exceed 2.5 meters. Fences higher than that must be transparent or use plants, he added.

Head of the Tamansari Fauna Foundation Yunus Purnawan who manages the zoo said that the walls are aimed at protecting the animals.

"We've lost several animals in burglaries. Visitors also often climb the fence to get into the zoo without paying," he said.

The construction of the wall fence, which is 75 percent complete, has now been delayed until the parties reach a compromise. (25)