Monas Deer Left Without Water and Veterinary Attention, Park Official Says
Source : The Jakarta Globe, Ulma Haryanto | November 12, 2011
An official feeds a deer at the National Monument park, Jakarta on Friday. (JG Photo/Safir Makki).
Sixty spotted deer at Jakarta’s National Monument park were without water for three months after its pump broke, an official said on Friday.
“I reported this to the [Jakarta Animal Husbandry Agency], but there was no response,” said Dasuki, who has been taking care of the deer park at the National Monument, also known as Monas, for eight years.
Apart from the broken pump, Dasuki said his reports of injured animals and deaths in the park had been ignored as well.
“We had one deer that died a couple of months ago. I told my supervisor immediately, but nobody from the government came,” he said. “I and some other park employees finally buried it.”
In 2003, then-Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso attempted to restore the area by converting a 5.2-hectare area on the south side of the Monas complex into a habitat for herds of spotted deer.
The area was originally managed by Ragunan Zoo. Dasuki said the management of the park was handed over to the Jakarta administration earlier this year, at the expense of the animals’ welfare.
“The pump stopped working when repair work was started in the area,” he said. “The repair work is done, but still there is no water.”
Dasuki added that the animals had not received any veterinary checks since the city took over the management of the park.
“Previously, a vet would visit at least once a month,” he said.
Pramudya Harzani, from the Jakarta Animal Aid Network (Jaan), said he visited the park recently after receiving public reports of deer with broken legs.
After contacting the Jakarta Animal Husbandry Agency, he visited the park.
“What we saw was appalling,” Pramudya said.
He said it looked as though the Jakarta administration had forgotten to feed the animals.
“Previously, a pick-up truck full of food would be sent daily, but now, the deer get two sacks of grass, but not every day,” Pramudya said.
He added that he saw a 100- by 200-meter watering hole for the deer had dried up.
Jakarta Maritime and Agriculture Agency chief Ipih Ruyani told beritajakarta.com, the city’s official news portal, that she would look into the matter.
“We don’t think we have underfed the deer because their numbers have increased [this year] from 40 to 50, which means they can breed and are well fed,” Ipih was quoted as saying.
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