Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – Four male gorillas which arrived here recently are proving to be some of Jakarta's most controversial guests.
Residents are outraged that the government plans to spend 3.2 billion rupiah on imported fruits for the primates – much more than the 625 million rupiah allocated for the city's poor people last year.
After a delay following security concerns due to the September 11 attacks last year, the four gorillas arrived at Ragunan Zoo on Monday from Howlett and Port Lympne wildlife park in Britain. They are a present from the park.
According to the Jakarta Parliament's budget commission, Ragunan Zoo has requested that the council allocate 3.2 billion rupiah to feed the four animals.
"The gorillas need special food, which is very expensive – such as apples from overseas and other food that is not local but fitting with their usual standards," said Ms Anna Rudiantika from the budget commission.
She said zoo managers had explained why they needed a special diet and the Parliament has approved the 3.2 billion rupiah disbursement.
But no money has yet been channelled to the zoo, she revealed. The expensive food bill has angered Indonesians, particularly in a city where – according to international aid groups – several hundred thousand children are suffering from malnutrition.
"How could the maintenance of such animals be worth millions of rupiah, which derives from the city budget? As a Jakarta resident, I feel insulted by such a plan," said Ms Sisca, a mother of two from South Jakarta.
However, the international wildlife organisation which organised the sending of the four gorillas and built their 0.8-ha zoo enclosure, said there was no need for the zoo or the city council to bear any of the costs for the feeding or upkeep of the gorillas.
"They are in two acres of natural forest, there is more food than they can eat. It is like a giant two-acre salad bowl," said Mr Willie Smit, director of the Gibbon Foundation in Indonesia.
Mr Smit dismissed claims that the gorillas would need a special diet before they could adjust to Indonesian fruit.
He added that transportation of the gorillas, the building of the 1 billion rupiah enclosure, as well as any food bills, were all being paid by a deceased benefactor, Ms Puck Schmutzer. Ms Schmutzer, of mixed Indonesian-Dutch descent, wanted to fund one of the best primate centres, said Mr Smits.
The now-completed gorilla enclosure at Ragunan Zoo is the largest primate facility in South-east Asia.
Mr Smit said he was not sure who was behind the scheme to make money from the gift of the gorillas and making claims about their expensive dietary habits.
However, he said the whole project would be audited by Price Waterhouse Coopers accountants to ensure there was no leakage of the donated funds.
"Ms Schmutzer was very strict about that kind of thing – corruption. She wanted written on her grave: 'Animals don't let me down.'" he added.
A spokesman for Ragunan Zoo, Mr Madinah, denied the zoo had demanded funds to feed the gorillas. He also said that the zoo would become of the best primate centres in the region, as it housed several other primate species such as silver leaf monkeys, black gibbons, grey gibbons, and was planning to build an orangutan enclosure as well.