Zoology museum will observe anniversary

BOGOR (JP): The Bogor Zoological Museum will hold a series of programs to mark its 100th anniversary, including the launch of a book on its history as well as holding panel discussions and a zoological exposition.

The book will be launched on Aug. 22 at the peak of the celebrations that will also commemorate the anniversary of the organizing body of the zoo, the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI).

"The book is written by a team of experts and living witnesses, including those who have worked and are working for this museum who we believe know its history," the head of the Zoological Museum, Mohammad Amir, told The Jakarta Post yesterday.

He added that the team was chaired by Sampurna Kadarsah, the person to whom the Dutch colonial government handed over the management of the museum.

The first panel discussion will feature the development of zoology and animal resources in the next 25 years while the second will discuss utilization prospects and conservation. The discussions will be held on Aug. 22 and 30 respectively and will be attended by domestic and foreign zoological experts.

Amir said that an international workshop entitled "Indonesian Inland Fauna" will also be held as a part of the celebrations since Indonesia has such varied flora and fauna.

However, he could not give the precise date of the workshop.

Indonesia is only second to Brazil in its megabiodiversity of flora and fauna.

The zoological exposition, initially planned for November, has been postponed until December because of the forthcoming Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation conference will be held in Bogor in November.

President Soeharto is scheduled to attend the anniversary of this historic museum which was named Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense in Dutch colonial times and will sign the first edition of a commemorative stamp to mark the day.

Bogor Zoological Museum has the biggest collection of animals in Southeast Asia housing around 16,000 species, some of which date as far back as 1860. Founded in 1894 by Dutch Zoologist Koningsberger, the Museum is now used by LIPI as a research laboratory for animal biosystematics, ecology and physiology.(als)