TEMPO.CO, Situbondo - Baluran National Park in Situbondo, East Java, has welcomed a new bull calf born through a semi-natural breeding method, Wednesday. The calf was born from a mother bull named Ussy.
The Head of Bekol Resort Section of Baluran National Park, Supriyanto, stated the male bull calf was born at 3.30 local time. It weighed 22 kilograms with a 79-centimeter length and 66-centimeter height.
"It was conceived after 10 months and 10 days," said Supriyanto, Thursday. The park's second semi-natural breed calf was born healthy as it stood on its four feet right away.
The park will build separate cages for both female and male calves to avoid natural breeding with the male parent.
The semi-natural breeding method has been developed by the park in collaboration with Indonesia Safari Park since July 2012. Three bull parents, two females and one male, are placed inside a massive 0.8-hectare cage which is conditioned to have habitation similar to its natural habitations including savannah, spring, and resting hut. The cage has perimeter equipped with electricity to repel predators such as wild dogs.
The program is aimed to increase Javan Bull population that is severely decreasing in number. The nearly extinct mammal’s population was reduced to only 20 bulls in 2008, 15 in 2011. Fortunately by 2012, its number increased to 26 bulls.
IKA NINGTYAS
