Kamis 01 Feb 2018 03:30 WIB

What's new in Bandung Zoo?

Bandung Zoo has four cute cubs since December last year.

Red: Reiny Dwinanda
Bandung Zoo keepers introduce three Binturong cubs (Arctictis binturong), on Wednesday (Jan 31).
Foto: Republika/Edi Yusuf
Bandung Zoo keepers introduce three Binturong cubs (Arctictis binturong), on Wednesday (Jan 31).

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BANDUNG -- A protected honey bear cub, or Malayan Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus), and three Binturong, or Bearcats, were born at the Bandung Zoo, West Java Province, an official announced here on Wednesday. The veterinarian was still conducting regular check-ups of the cub in the quarantine room. 

"Eleven days after the cub was born in December last year, the vet had separated the baby animal from its mother for safety reasons," Dedi Tri Sasongko, the animal health and research head of Bandung Zoo, stated.

The honey bear cub is now aged 54 days and weighs 2.5 kilograms. When the baby animal is three months old and in good health, it will be placed in a cage visible to the public. "For a year, the cub will only consume milk and vegetables, but the vet will frequently add meat and poultry to its diet," he remarked.

Apart from the honey bear, the Bandung Zoo has also bred three bearcat cubs, and as a result, the number of this mammal species in the zoo has reached 12. "The bear cubs were born normally in mid-Dec last year," he stated.

Similar to the honey bear, the Binturong cubs were kept in isolation in a special quarantine room in order to ensure optimal growth and health. According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the honey bear is a native animal of Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, India, Laos, Brunei Darussalam, and Bangladesh.

The Malayan Sun Bear has now become extinct in Singapore, according to the group's official site, www.iucnredlist.org. Claimed as "vulnerable to extinction," the population of sun bears in the wild is declining due to deforestation, trophy hunting, and illegal trade.

The IUCN SSC Bear Specialist Group has estimated that the population of honey bears may have declined by some 35 percent in the past three decades and some 40 percent or more for time periods, including the future.

"Sun bears are species living in forests. Hence, the loss of forest habitat is directly linked to its population decline. Southeast Asia, home to nearly all species existing globally, has experienced a higher relative rate of forest loss over the past 30 years than any other part of the world," the IUCN remarked.

Meanwhile, the Bearcat (Viverra binturong) is also vulnerable to extinction, as the animal population in the wild has declined over the years. "This species is listed as vulnerable due to a population decline, estimated to be more than 30 percent over the last 18 years (three generations), inferred from the shrinkage in distribution through habitat destruction and degradation as well as overexploitation (for both local use and wildlife trade)," the IUCN stated.

The bearcat can be found not only in Indonesia in Java, Kalimantan, and Sumatra but also in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.

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وَمِنْهُمْ مَّنْ يَّسْتَمِعُ اِلَيْكَ ۚوَجَعَلْنَا عَلٰى قُلُوْبِهِمْ اَكِنَّةً اَنْ يَّفْقَهُوْهُ وَفِيْٓ اٰذَانِهِمْ وَقْرًا ۗوَاِنْ يَّرَوْا كُلَّ اٰيَةٍ لَّا يُؤْمِنُوْا بِهَا ۗحَتّٰٓى اِذَا جَاۤءُوْكَ يُجَادِلُوْنَكَ يَقُوْلُ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوْٓا اِنْ هٰذَآ اِلَّآ اَسَاطِيْرُ الْاَوَّلِيْنَ
Dan di antara mereka ada yang mendengarkan bacaanmu (Muhammad), dan Kami telah menjadikan hati mereka tertutup (sehingga mereka tidak) memahaminya, dan telinganya tersumbat. Dan kalaupun mereka melihat segala tanda (kebenaran), mereka tetap tidak mau beriman kepadanya. Sehingga apabila mereka datang kepadamu untuk membantahmu, orang-orang kafir itu berkata, “Ini (Al-Qur'an) tidak lain hanyalah dongengan orang-orang terdahulu.”

(QS. Al-An'am ayat 25)

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