If you’re looking for something unique outside of Bali, then Sulawesi Island and its animals can be an option. Located in east Indonesia, Sulawesi is an island quite rich in biodiversity. The rainforest of Sulawesi has the most unique animals in the world, where you can find a mixture of Asian and Australian animals. Not only the forest, but Sulawesi is also located in the epicenter of Indonesian marine biodiversity.
Sulawesi Island is shaped like a tropical orchid with petals stretched out from north to south. Three peninsulas are stretched out to the northeast, east, and southeast, each one creating its own peninsula, surrounded by mountains and beautiful coral reefs. This island is located in an area known as Wallacea, surrounded by exotic oceans and the islands of Borneo, Java, Flores, Halmahera, and Philippines. Wallace line is stretched from between Bali and Lombok to between Sulawesi and Borneo, marking a location of a deep oceanic trench and a barrier for animals and plants, thus making Sulawesi an island with unique and endemic animals you can never find in other places in the world. Sadly, now more than half of the rainforest in Sulawesi has been cleared, and most of the remaining forests have been reduced to fragments and following its destruction, many endemic species in Sulawesi is now endangered.
Sulawesi is an island in Indonesia which is located between Borneo and Maluku, covering an area of 174.600 km, making the island the 11th largest island in the world. From the 104 types of mammals found in the eco region, 29 of them are endemic species, meaning that they can only be found on the particular island. One of the endemic species is Babirusa. Babirusa is a type of large pig which has a distinguished characteristic that differentiate them from all other types of pigs and makes them unique in the animal kingdom. The male babirusa has four conspicuous upper tusks, forming from their canine teeth that grow upwards through the skull and curve back towards the skull between the eyes resembling horns; thus why it is named “babirusa”, meaning “pig-deer”.
Their upper tusk doesn’t seem to have a specific function. The tusks cannot be used to find food because of its awkward position, and can not to be used as a defense mechanism because of its fragility. The only possible function is as a symbol of rank or status which can be used to attract the females. Currently, this unique animal is hunted for food to the point that now their presence is rarely seen in the island. The only place they can be found now is in a place known as Nantu Reserve near Gorontalo. The only reason why they can be found in that conservation center is because it is protected by the surrounding villagers and the law that protects them. Babirusa is classified as “Endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Another endemic animal to Sulawesi that is also very unique is the Anoa. Anoa is also the symbol of Southeast Sulawesi. Just like babirusa, the Anoa does not have a natural predator but the threat to this endemic animal of Sulawesi is mostly caused by deforestation (the usage of the land for farming, plantation, and housing) and the overhunting by humans for its meat, skin, and horns. There are two types of these rare and protected animals: Mountain Anoa (Bubalus guarlesi) and Lowland Anoa (Bubalus depressicornis). Both species of anoa can only be found in Sulawesi and now it is believed that there are less than 5000 individuals remaining in the wild. Anoas are often hunted for their skin, horns, and meat. Both the Mountain Anoa and Lowland Anoa, since 1986 by IUCN Red list, have been categorized as “Endangered” or three levels before the status “Extinct”.
The animal that can also be found in Sulawesi is the common spotted cuscus and saltwater crocodiles. Cuscus is a unique animal with the size of domestic cat and it is a nocturnal animal, meaning more active in the evening. During the day cuscus sleeps on a platform that it makes on a tree branch. It has a round head, hidden small ears, thick fur, and a tail that functions as a fifth hand to help it hold on to tree branches. The upper side of the tail closest to the body is covered by fur and the bottom part of the tail is covered by rough scales to help it keep a strong grip. The habitat of a common spotted cuscus is in the rainforest of Sulawesi and because they are nocturnal, more active during the evening, they are rarely encountered. Even though by IUCN they are categorized as ‘Least Concerned’, with the ongoing human expansion and the destruction of their natural habitat, as well as the increasing demand of cuscus meat and fur can dramatically reduce cuscus population in the future.
The same thing can be said for saltwater or estuarine crocodiles. The distribution for saltwater crocodiles is very wide and they can also be found in the various islands of Indonesia. They are very good swimmers and often seen far in the sea. The estimation of their population is around 200,000 to 300,000 in the world, and categorized as ‘Least Concerned’ by IUCN. Even so, the saltwater crocodiles are still facing many threats such as poaching and habitat loss. Antipathy to this species for its reputation as the human eater thus pressuring the population of saltwater crocodiles. Crocodiles have been facing poaching problems for more than 25 years and it has driven the population of saltwater crocodiles to the edge of extinction. Since 1971, saltwater crocodiles have been protected by international law. Although population data has been showing positive restorations, the public opinions regarding crocodiles are still mostly negative. The concern of the society upon the increasing of number of crocodiles is making it difficult to gain public support.
“Sometimes the human attention towards the animals, especially crocodiles, is very negative,” said Nyoman Suartawan, a keeper in the “Croc Squad” of Bali Safari and Marine Park. Nyoman and the other team member in ‘Croc Squad’ are responsible in monitoring the conditions of the crocodiles in Bali Safari and Marine Park and also making sure that these animals is in good health and condition. “Their existence plays a big role in the world to maintain the balance of the ecosystem. Just imagine if there are no crocodiles in this world. It is inevitable that there will be an overpopulation of herbivores because their existence as a predatory animal is very important in the food chain.”
Although there are many exotic biodiversities found in Sulawesi moreover Indonesia, their population is decreasing in number day by day. The reason of the decline in population of these animals includes the poaching and hunting for their body parts by the local communities and the most serious threat is the loss of habitat caused by deforestation for housing and farming. The faunas in Sulawesi are very unique, but now most of them are endangered. They choose to live in humid forest alongside the river, which is the same area of forest as the local community chose to live in as well. Their habitat will easily be wiped out because of illegal logging and the expansion of human population. Even though these faunas are protected by law, but their home in forest are not. Just recently, Indonesian government has started to protect the forest and stating that they need to take conservation action as soon as possible.
Only few zoos in the world conserve the animals of Sulawesi. Bali Safari and Marina Park is one of the few zoos that are lucky enough to have Sulawesi animals. Bali Safari is home for three babirusa, a pair of anoa and cuscus, and twenty four saltwater crocodiles. One of the conservation programs in Bali Safari and Marine Park covers captivity breeding to re-introduce these endemic animals to their natural habitat so they can maintain its population for the future. Bali Safari and Marine Park strongly takes part in conservation effort of Indonesian animals. The improvement of public awareness in Indonesia towards the importance of conserving the wildlife supports Bali Safari and Marine Park to actively campaign about conservation programs for wildlife and its environment. Bali Safari and Marine Park strongly believes that campaigns through education are vital for increasing public awareness of all generations.
- Fajar Bali, Dec 11th 2010 -
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