Gunung Kidul Monkeys to Be Exported Due to Overpopulation
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6 September 2019 15:52 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Yogyakarta Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) announced it was intent on slashing the number of monkeys that currently live in Gunung Kidul regency, which is said to be nearing overpopulation.
The BKSDA has filed a request for relocation to the Environment and Forestry Ministry’s (KLHK) Directorate General of Natural Resources Conservation.
“We plan to reduce up to 1,200 of the long-tailed macaques that constitute roughly 60-70 percent [of the monkeys] that exist in Gunung Kidul,” said BKSDA Yogyakarta official Agus Sunarto on Thursday.
He said the relocation would be carried out by a third party as in 2010, in which the third party brought in people from the the Badui Tribe to catch hundreds of long-tailed macaques in the regency.
“Presently, we only file for relocation. The institution that will be responsible to capture the monkeys will be the companies that have export permits. The KLHK has prepared a quota up to 20,000 for every four years,” said Agus.
He recalled that the overpopulated long-tail monkeys had caused trouble to locals, especially those living in the subdistricts of Girisubo and Panggung, where at least five monkey colonies live. Each long-tail monkey colony reportedly consists of 50-100 of the species.
ANTARA
