Cempaka Nature, Agriculture and Environment: Tarakan home to RI's only city mangrove

"The Greater Akashic System" – July 15, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) (Subjects: Lightworkers, Intent, To meet God, Past lives, Universe/Galaxy, Earth, Pleiadians, Souls Reincarnate, Invention: Measure Quantum state in 3D, Recalibrates, Multi-Dimensional/Divine, Akashic System to change to new system, Before religion changed the system, DNA, Old system react to Karma, New system react to intent now for next life, Animals (around humans) reincarnate again, This Animal want to come back to the same human, Akashic Inheritance, Reincarnate as Family, Other Planets, Global Unity … etc.)

Kryon Q&A

Question: Dear Kryon: I live in Spain. I am sorry if I will ask you a question you might have already answered, but the translations of your books are very slow and I might not have gathered all information you have already given. I am quite concerned about abandoned animals. It seems that many people buy animals for their children and as soon as they grow, they set them out somewhere. Recently I had the occasion to see a small kitten in the middle of the street. I did not immediately react, since I could have stopped and taken it, without getting out of the car. So, I went on and at the first occasion I could turn, I went back to see if I could take the kitten, but it was to late, somebody had already killed it. This happened some month ago, but I still feel very sorry for that kitten. I just would like to know, what kind of entity are these animals and how does this fit in our world. Are these entities which choose this kind of life, like we do choose our kind of Human life? I see so many abandoned animals and every time I see one, my heart aches... I would like to know more about them.

Answer: Dear one, indeed the answer has been given, but let us give it again so you all understand. Animals are here on earth for three (3) reasons.

(1) The balance of biological life. . . the circle of energy that is needed for you to exist in what you call "nature."

(2) To be harvested. Yes, it's true. Many exist for your sustenance, and this is appropriate. It is a harmony between Human and animal, and always has. Remember the buffalo that willingly came into the indigenous tribes to be sacrificed when called? These are stories that you should examine again. The inappropriateness of today's culture is how these precious creatures are treated. Did you know that if there was an honoring ceremony at their death, they would nourish you better? Did you know that there is ceremony that could benefit all of humanity in this way. Perhaps it's time you saw it.

(3) To be loved and to love. For many cultures, animals serve as surrogate children, loved and taken care of. It gives Humans a chance to show compassion when they need it, and to have unconditional love when they need it. This is extremely important to many, and provides balance and centering for many.

Do animals know all this? At a basic level, they do. Not in the way you "know," but in a cellular awareness they understand that they are here in service to planet earth. If you honor them in all three instances, then balance will be the result. Your feelings about their treatment is important. Temper your reactions with the spiritual logic of their appropriateness and their service to humanity. Honor them in all three cases.

Friday, February 8, 2008

Tarakan home to RI's only city mangrove

Nurni Sulaiman, The Jakarta Post, Tarakan

Tarakan in East Kalimantan is home to the Mangrove and Bekantan Conservation Area (KKMB), believed to be the only mangrove forest located in a city center in Indonesia, if not the world. It is situated on Jl. Gajah Mada, adjacent to downtown Gusher Plaza.

The 9-hectare mangrove park is home to 45 rare proboscis monkeys, 11 species of mangrove, hundreds of black and gray monkeys, otters, rare Bondol eagles and a vast range of other flora and fauna.

"Its location in the heart of the city expedites the learning and research process. Generally, mangrove forests are located along the coast, so much so that a study or research group must rent boats to reach the location. This place is easily reached overland. You just have to take a ride on a public minivan to reach it," said KKMB field coordinator Dullah Kadir.

The entrance fee to the park is only Rp 2,000 (20 U.S. cents) for an adult and Rp 1,000 for a child. Earnings from ticket sales are set aside for environmental causes.

Visitors can also use the service of a guide for Rp 20,000 per hour. "The mangrove park is usually full of visitors, especially parents and their children on weekends," said Kadir.

Visitors can walk around the park by means of a boardwalk that encircles the park at 2.4 kilometers long and 80 centimeters wide.

Encounters with animals are common. Despite the timid nature of the proboscis monkeys, or bekantan, it is not unusual to be able to get within five meters of them. Black and gray monkeys, or lutung, are more used to humans and can be approached by visitors up to a meter.

They roam freely on the boardwalk, in the trees and on the ground, where they look for small fish or crabs.

"Black monkeys are the most agile in searching for crabs," said a security guard, Syamsul.

There were initially 47 bekantan in the park, but two of them died due to old age.

An adult male bekantan can weigh up to 20 kilograms, while adult females weigh around 10 kilos.

Bekantan are protected under the 1990 law on natural resources conservation and ecosystems.

Physically, a bekantan is different from other primates, in that it has special features, such as a long orange pendulous nose, reddish orange head and back, light orange shoulders, cheeks and neck and grayish white feet, tail and stomach.

The bekantan, which are endemic to Kalimantan, survive on mangrove shoots and blooms, and occasionally descend to the ground in search of crabs.

"Bekantan are deft in finding crabs by using their tails to lure them out and later catch them with their hands," said Kadir.

Bekantan breed in mangrove swamps, river rain forests, peat moss swamps and coastal forests. They are sensitive and vulnerable animals, so much so they breed slower than the black monkey.

Visiting hours at the mangrove park are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The park also offers a 16-meter observation tower, from the top of which visitors can see the sea to the west, the densely packed coastal communities, Tarakan city and the spread of dense and green mangrove trees.

"The place is mesmerizing," Tarakan City Secretary H. Jusuf told The Jakarta Post.

The city plans to expand the park by taking over an adjacent 13 hectares of land, and is currently building a 30-meter steel tower in the park.

"We initially intended to build houses on the 13 hectares but I was amazed to see the mangrove trees grow so well, so I immediately submitted a proposal to the municipal council to include the area as an expansion of the conservation area. The area, which has been extended to 22 hectares, is crucial because it acts as the lungs of the city," said Jusuf.