The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 02/01/2009 11:47 AM
Sumatran tiger: Vice President Jusuf Kalla and wife Mufidah Jusuf Kalla observe a Sumatran tiger at the Zoorasia Zoo in Yokohama, Japan, on Sunday. During the visit, Kalla named a Sumatran tapir, a large browsing mammal, "La Baco".
"It's Bugis for 'brave son', a name that should be easy to pronounce by the Japanese," Kalla said.
The 8-month old short-snouted pig-like animal was bred at Zoorasia from female tapir located in a Yogyakarta zoo and a male tapir from a zoo in Semarang, Central Java.
Labaco is part of Zoorasia's collection of endangered animals from Indonesia.
Apart from the tapir, Zoorasia is also home to a Sumatran tiger, a Kalimantan orangutan, and a Balinese crow.
"We've also prepared a cage for a Kalimantan Bekantan (proboscis monkey) due to arrive shortly," Zoorasia Zoo head Mitsuko Masui said.
"Conserving endangered animals is very important in recovering biodiversity. We've also begun our own conservation measures for endangered animals at Indonesian zoos, " Kalla said, adding that Zoorasia's effort in aiding Indonesia were welcomed.
There are only 17 tapirs left in Indonesia: four at Ragunan Zoo in South Jakarta, five at the Indonesian Safari Park in Cisarua, Bogor, two at Prigen Safari Park, three at Yogyakarta's Gembira Loka Zoo, and the remaining three are located at a safari park in Bogor.
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