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TSUNAMI APPEAL - ANIMAL IN ACEH
21 January
2005
On
December 26, 2005 tsunami struck and devastated Aceh, killing many of
thousands of victims and flattening their towns and villages. For
decades the Acehnese have lived in constant fear because of the civil
war and the martial laws. Now they are suffering even more due to a
natural calamity.
Thousands of bodies are still waiting to be buried. National and
international rescue efforts are focused on providing humanitarian aid.
However, there is something perhaps is being overlooked. The
preservation of wildlife and domestic animals in Aceh!
A
ProFauna team from Indonesia visited Aceh in mid January to witness and
survey the destruction caused by the tsunami. The team was led by
Suparno (ProFauna Jakarta office Coordinator) assisted by Afrizal Akmal
(ProFauna member Aceh) and Rudi H Putra (ProFauna member Medan). To our
relief we found that 7 of our members who live in Aceh survived. Sadly,
there is no news oft the remaining of our Acehnese members.
The suffering of wildlife in the Aceh mini zoo:
The
team found six surviving animals in a dire and starving condition left
abandoned in Wulandari mini private zoo in Banda Aceh. The species are;
monkey (pig tail macaque), angora cat, python, turtle and stork. The
owner’s whereabouts or even if he survived the tsunami are not known but
no action had been taken to provide food or water to the animals. The
cages were littered with debris and covered in mud. How they survived
more than three weeks between the earthquake and the team’s visit is a
miracle.
On
previous occasions other critically endangered wildlife, including
legally protected species such as orang-utans, sun bears and eagles have
been discovered at this zoo. These animals were confiscated by the BKSDA
(Council of conservation of natural resources) of the Forestry Dept of
Aceh, and housed at BKSDA’s site in Aceh. Tragically for those animals
the sanctuary in which they were housed has also been destroyed in the
disaster. Amongst the ruins of collapsed cages there is evidence of
clumps of a tiger’s flesh and fur. The team could find no trace of the
fate of that tiger.
The
staff of the sanctuary have also suffered from deaths and serious
injuries. The head of BKSDA Aceh, Andi Basrul, has not been found to
date. 70 family members of BKSDA Aceh staff are declared missing. Their
office has been destroyed.
It is
one of the mysteries of nature that there has been no serious impact on
other wildlife in Aceh. Their natural instincts seem to have warned them
of the impending danger and most other than those living in the mangrove
forests on the coast, fled to safety. Wildlife in the deep forest seems
to be relatively safe. Rudi H. Putra, the ProFauna member from Medan,
reported that following the earthquake no evidence of dead wildlife was
to be seen.
Domestic animals scavenging in the towns and villages
Thousands of domestic animals, including cows, goats, cats and dogs,
which survived the tragedy are now roaming deserted villages and towns.
Their owners were probably killed and the whole region is in ruins. They
are starving and are scavenging on debris and rubbish. Bodies of dead
cats and goats were found on the roads, sometimes run over by passing
vehicles which is adding to potential problems of disease. Over 200
domestic animals were spotted during the team’s visit, the majority of
which were cows followed by dogs. This is no doubt just a very small
fraction of the total.
Action needed for people and animals in Aceh
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We
need funds to rebuild an emergency office for BKSDA, Department of
Forestry Aceh, including office equipment (especially computers) to
perform basic functions. Donations would help the staff and forest
rangers who have lost family members and their homes to re-establish
the wildlife sanctuary.
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To
vaccinate domestic animals now roaming unsupervised in many scattered
areas to prevent transmission of infection and disease to humans.
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To
build temporary animal shelters and sanctuaries
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To
round up animals whose owners may have been killed and place them in
safe, enclosed areas.
ProFauna intends to return to Aceh as soon as possible to try to do as
much as we can with our own resources. But we need financial aid if we
are going to have any major impact in view of the scale of the disaster.
Please donate generously to our tsunami fund - by bank transfer or
cheque to:
Account name
Account number
Bank name
Bank address
Swfit code |
: PROFAUNA INDONESIA
: 121.007869439.001
: Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI)
: Jl. Basuki Rahmat Malang
: BNINIDJAMLG |
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ProFauna Indonesia deeply
mourns for those who are affected by the tsunami in Aceh and other
part of the world.
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For further information please contact:
Drh.Luki K.Wardhani
mobile: +628155509748
Email: izw@telkom.net
ProFauna Indonesia HQ
Ph. (0341) 570033
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