PORTALJABAR, BANDUNG CITY - Bio Farma through the TJSL (Environmental Social Responsibility) program in collaboration with the West Java Natural Resources Conservation Center (BBKSDA) and The Aspinall Foundation Indonesia Program (TAF-IP) released the Javan Gibbon (Hylobates moloch) and Surili. (Presbytis comata) to the Gunung Tilu Nature Reserve Area, Pangalengan, Bandung Regency.

Vice President (VP) TJSL, Assets and General Bio Farma, Tjut Vina Irviyanti said that this release was a form of Bio Farma's commitment to implementing the protection of Biodiversity (Kehati).

“Biological protection is one aspect of the implementation of Bio Farma's TJSL program. Apart from special attention to community development, it also pays attention to planetary aspects. "The release of Javanese and Surili gibbons is a form of the company's attention to the survival of fauna on earth," said Tjut Vina, Thursday (25/7/2024).

"It is hoped that in the future this activity can continue to be sustainable, so that it can make a positive contribution to animal conservation, especially animals that are categorized as endangered or protected," he added.

Head of Conservation Area Section 3 of the West Java Natural Resources Conservation Center (BBKSDA), Halu Oleo, expressed his appreciation to Bio Farma for its support in this release activity.

"Thank you very much for the support from Bio Farma who has carried out this release activity. "We hope that with the release of these endemic Javanese primates, namely the Javan and Surili Gibbons, we hope that they can breed well and increase the population in the Gunung Tilu Nature Reserve," he said.

"Furthermore, the team from BBKSDA West Java and TAF-IP will monitor daily developments, by following the individual's movements and adaptive behavior for the next six months." Halu Oleo said.

This release was carried out on one Javanese Gibbon and one Surili individual. The Javan and Surili gibbons have undergone a rehabilitation process and after passing final health tests, both individuals were declared in good condition and ready to be released. After release, the monitoring team will monitor daily progress by following their movements and adaptive behavior for the next 6 months.

The Gunung Tilu Nature Reserve was chosen as the wild release location, because this conservation area is still very natural with dense forest cover and is connected to the Gunung Simpang Nature Reserve so that wild animals can live in a conservation forest ecosystem spanning 23,000 hectares, with a relatively small level of disturbance and minimal human accessibility, so it is hoped that it can develop well in the wild.

Gibbons are a type of primate endemic to the island of Java which is on the globally endangered list. The population in nature only remains around 2,000-4,000 individuals. They are spread across several conservation areas and protected forests in West Java and a small portion of protected forest areas in Central Java. These wild animals are included in the list of 25 priority fauna and flora species for population increase by the Directorate General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation.

To date, the Javanese Endemic Primate Conservation Cooperation Program has succeeded in releasing 59 rehabilitated Javanese Gibbons and 16 Surili into their habitat. This activity has been running since 2011, and has resulted in the birth of 4 Javan Gibbon babies and 5 Surili babies.