Jakarta, Ekuatorial — President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo will be releasing two pairs of Javan gibbons (Hylobates moloch) in conjunction with 2015 Asia Africa Conference in Bandung, East Java, said an official in Jakarta, on Tuesday (21/5).
The two pairs, Robin (male) – Moni (female) and Moli (male) – Nancy (female), are finally released to their natural habitat after spending seven to 11 years in rehabilitation center managed by Javan Gibbon Center, in Gede Pangrango Mountain National Park.
They will be released in Mount Puntang of Malabar protected forest, Bandung, East Java, which is under the management of Regional III Division Perum Perhutani, state plantation firm, on Friday (24/5).
“[The release] It is our effort to protect the forest because Javan gibbon is considered as indicator for the health of protected forest. If [population of] gibbon is declining, it means that the forest is destroyed,” said Mustoha Iskandar, director of Perum Perhutani.
Furthermore, Iskandar said it was the third release in Mount Puntang as it was considered still ideal for the small ape. A pair of Javan gibbons were released in June 15, 2013 followed by one family, comprise of four individuals, in March 27, 2014.
Noviar Andayani, chair of Owa Jawa Foundation, said that Javan gibbon distribution was endemic to West Java for its wet forest type was suitable for gibbon to move around and find food.
“Gibbon needs closed tree canopy to move around. So, if there are no trees, they are not going to survive,” said Andayani adding gibbons were hunted for domestication.
The 2010 survey recorded 2,140 to 5,310 individuals in Mount Gede Pangrango, Mount Halimun Salak, Ujung Kulon, Mount Simpang and Mount Tilu Nature Reserves.
This condition then encouraged the world’s conservation agency, IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group Section on Small Apes, to declare 2015 as “Year of Gibbon”.
Unfortunately, this encouragement is still far from giving significant results.
Bambang Dahono Adji, director of Conservation Areas and Forest Protection, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, said that Indonesia has only managed to increase 2 percent of gibbon population.
“Meanwhile, on the [2009-2014] National Mid-Term Development Plan [RPJMN], we are targeted to increase up to three percent but we failed to achieve that,” said Adji adding that gibbon habitat was being threatened by illegal logging and encroachment.
Nevertheless, he said that the 2014-2019 RPJMN instead targeting to increase ten percent of gibbon population.
Andayani said that one of the reasons for gibbon declining was domestication. “If you take one gibbon, it will at least kill three gibbons. For instance, if you take the baby, the mother will die [for being separated from her baby]. Then, the male will die of broken heart. Hence, other siblings will die because they lost their parents. That’s why the number is slipping so fast,” she said explaining that once gibbon was paired, they will stick together until death.
Since 2003, Javan Gibbon Center have received 30 gibbons confiscated from people. Fidelis E. Satriastanti