Govt expands wildlife conservation cooperation with India’s Vantara

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia is expanding its wildlife health and in-situ conservation programme in cooperation with India’s pioneering wildlife rescue, care, and conservation initiative, Vantara, and Indonesian wildlife organisation Fauna Land.

The cooperation includes veterinary support, infrastructure development, technical assistance, and training for personnel involved in wildlife management.

“Wildlife conservation is ultimately our responsibility and we must ensure that Indonesia has the facilities, expertise, and resources to care our wildlife wherever they need us,” Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said in a statement received here in Jakarta, Monday.

He said the cooperation would strengthen Indonesia’s wildlife health and conservation infrastructure, while the facilities and programmes would remain owned, operated, and managed by the Indonesian government and its relevant authorities.

The initiatives include training for elephant caregivers, veterinarians, and other wildlife officials, as well as the deployment of 10 mobile veterinary hospitals to provide treatment for wild animals in their natural habitats.

The cooperation also includes upgrading the Way Kambas Elephant Hospital in Lampung into an Elephant Treatment and Care Centre, equipped with additional medical equipment and technology.

The upgraded facility is expected to support about 70 Sumatran elephants under human care and serve nearly 185 wild Sumatran elephants in the surrounding landscape.

CEO of Vantara, Vivaan Karani, said the organisation would provide expertise in wildlife health, veterinary care, animal husbandry and conservation, while also working with Indonesian authorities and conservation organisations.

“We expect this partnership to deliver something practical and lasting for wildlife,” Karani said.

Meanwhile, CEO of Fauna Land Danny Gunalen said the cooperation was expected to strengthen local capacity and wildlife care infrastructure in Indonesia.

The initiatives are part of a broader memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Indonesian government and Vantara in covering wildlife health, animal welfare and conservation.

The agreement also provides a framework for cooperation in in-situ and ex-situ conservation, conservation breeding, wildlife rehabilitation, rewilding and capacity building.

Vantara stated the cooperation follows the release of its five-year plan and expands its international conservation activities beyond its facilities in Jamnagar, India.

The Indonesian government and Vantara will continue developing the cooperation in line with Indonesia’s conservation priorities, laws and policies.

Govt expands wildlife conservation cooperation with India’s Vantara

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