TEMPO.CO, Jakarta- Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo’s plans to earmark an enormous amount of funds to revitalize Ragunan Zoo will be in vain if they are not coupled with comprehensive strategies. Extra caution is necessary to prevent the same upshots from recurring: the zoo was granted Rp40 billion, yet its poor conditions persist.
The management of the zoo, which was established in 1864 on a 120-hectare plot of land, seems amateur. Animals are dying from negligence, with the latest in June when a giraffe died at the zoo. Attractive animal shows are also absence at the zoo despite its marvelous collections, such as the Schmutzer Primates Center, and all kinds of apes, langur monkeys to gorillas living freely in open nature.
Jokowi should be aware of this failure and exercise caution in disbursing the Rp500 billion to aid the zoo. The huge funds will go down the drain should the plans to revitalize the zoo be bereft of meticulous preparations.
It might be useful for Jokowi to take a lesson from the management of modern parks, such as the Taman Safari Indonesia or Taman Impian Jaya Ancol. Ancol, for instance, which has been operating without subsidy and managed professionally, is targeting to lure 15.5 million people this year. Ragunan, in contrast, which has been basking in subsidies worth billions of rupiahs, could only attract 4.3 million people last year.
Given these facts, Jokowi must be selective in choosing people to manage the zoo. His plan to join hands with tycoon Hashim Djojohadikusumo as the chief of Ragunan Zoo supervisory board is a sound move. Who knows, Hashim could foster professionalism at the zoo under his leadership.
With such huge funds, the zoo operator should not be worried about finding investors. The only thing they need to do is urge their employees to work harder. The zoo operator, however, should also refrain from inconveniencing Jakartans from the financial side. To date, the zoo has been known as one of those affordable recreational spots left in the capital.
Another crucial thing the governor should bear in mind is the preservation of the zoo as a facility to conserve rare animal and plants. The zoo must continue this function. It is so sad to witness that the zoo, with all of the money to burn, is now in limbo.
The city administration might also consider creating a tourism package offering the zoo together with other recreational spots to people—Jakarta is teeming with neglected recreational sites, such as the Kampung Betawi In Srengseng, South Jakarta, and the forever-empty museums. In developed cities such as Singapore or New York, the city administration is selling tickets in a package: one ticket for four to five recreational destinations.
Jakarta could emulate this strategy. For example, one ticket for Ragunan, Ancol, Kampung Betawi, museums, and the National Monument. This way, people would also visit those deserted recreational sites.
The government should also pay attention to the development of infrastructure, such as roads and transport to recreational areas. This is because the present modes of transport are incapable of accommodating the surging number of visitors during holidays, which reached 150,000 a day. This is the right time to revitalize recreational sites in Jakarta. (*)
