TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Jakarta administration plans to allocate Rp500 billion to revitalize South Jakarta’s Ragunan Zoo. However, the city asked the zoo operator to formulate a master plan on the zoo’s development for the next 50 to 100 years.
“We have enough money. We don’t need to find an investor or sell it to a private company, as long as the zoo has clear plans,” Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo told a recent public dialog in Ragunan, South Jakarta, yesterday.
The governor called on the zoo operator to focus on three basic activities. First, protecting the animals and plants as part of natural conservation. Second, carrying out its educational function through research and educational programs on flora and fauna. Third, optimizing its function as a tourism spot.
Ragunan Zoo supervisory board chairman Hashim Djojohadikusumo has refused the planned funding. “We’re not capable and ready yet,” he said. This year, the Jakarta administration only gave Rp18.7 billion to the zoo to subsidize its operational costs. The zoo operator’s annual income from ticket sales reaches Rp22 billion.
Hashim said he would address three major issues at the zoo. “First, the water. It’s very dirty, especially to fill the tubs at the animals’ cages,” he said. The second is fixing the cages’ fences to protect both the animals and the visitors. The third is averting animal diseases and famine.
Hashim said the zoo operator also mulled to increase ticket prices. “The present Rp4,000 is too cheap and illogical,” he said. Governor Jokowi seconded Hashim’s opinion. “This is the cheapest zoo in the world,” he said.
ANGGRITA DESYANI | M. ANDI PERDANA
