Bali Zoo Saves Borneon Orangutan by Supporting Chainsaw Buyback Program

Bali Zoo has been involved in many movements and programs that support animal welfare in Indonesia. It has been years since Bali Zoo joined forces with communities to safe many animal habitats and the inhabitants. Recently, Bali Zoo teamed up with Yayasan Alam Sehat Lestari (ASRI Foundation) to protect Borneon orangutan in Borneo, or locally known as Kalimantan. Borneo is popularly known as the original habitat for Orangutan, yet in fact, the population of Borneon Orangutan has been decreasing around 25% in the past 10 years. The reason behind it is because their habitat is getting lost at extremely high rate and it is due to the illegal loggers who actively cut the tree in regular basis.

ASRI Foundation which is based in Gunung Palung National Park in West Borneo, work on this ecosystem and forest conservation issue. One of their efforts to fight the issue is they iniated a program named Chainsaw Buyback. The program gives a chance to the illegal loggers to sell their chainsaw to ASRI Foundation for Rp. 10.000.000. Not only they will get the cash by selling their chainsaw, the loggers are also be able to access a small-business education or other education such as organic farming. ASRI Foundation hopes with that amount of money and the sufficient knowledge, the loggers can start their small business or make use of the resource for a more sustainable way of living.

Bali Zoo has organized a one year campaign to raise awareness and fund amounting of Rp. 100.000.000,- to be fully given to Asri Foundation. In 2019, ASRI Foundation and Bali Zoo have succesfully bought 10 chainsaws from the illegal loggers that are also residents in Gunung Palung National Park. “Bali Zoo hopes the Chainsaw Buyback program can minimize the number of illegal loggers and the Borneon Orangutans can live and roam freely in their natural habitat” said Lesmana Putra, Bali Zoo's General Manager. Bali Zoo supports them by giving Rp. 1.000 from every purchase of the zoo's admission. ASRI Foundation is one of many local communities that Bali Zoo has engaged and worked together, and this time they aim to prevent the extinction of Borneon Orangutan that lives in Gunung Palung National Park in West Borneo.

Bali Zoo, as an animal conservation that existed since 2002, has a similar vision and mission with ASRI Foundation, in which the zoo's main focus is animal welfare. The zoo has succesfully bred and released several animals to their natural habitat. With 'Love.Conserve.Share' as a tagline, Bali Zoo always stay in-the-know when it comes to animal conservation and nurturing wildlife habitat. At the same time, ASRI foundation focuses on conserving the ecosystem in Gunung Palung National Park, which is a natural home for Borneon Orangutan. With this in mind, Bali Zoo and ASRI Foundation have worked hand in hand to keep this program sustainable and positively impactful.

Website: www.bali-zoo.com