Jakarta Governor Pramono to dedicate an island for stray cats

“The idea about the cat island is not new. Japan has already established ones and they have become extraordinary tourist destinations,” Pramono said at City Hall on Thursday (March 13), claiming that the cat-lover community in Indonesia, particularly the capital city, is quite big.

“If we can make it happen, the island can be a source of revenue for the Thousand Islands administration,” the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician added, as quoted by tempo.co.

He further projected the island to be a cat rehabilitation centre, which will also host a cat hospital.

Last week, Pramono received an award from the Indonesian World Record Museum (MURI) for carrying out the most cat sterilisations, with up to 1,000 cats in February alone.

The governor hopes the programme can target 21,000 cats without owners this year.

A representative from the Jakarta cat lover community Sonny Kastara Dhaniswara, who handed the MURI award to Pramono, supported the idea of developing the cat island, saying it has been their dream for a long time.

“We have a vision, a dream and an ambition that there will be an island in Indonesia that will become a cat rehabilitation centre,” Sonny told journalists on Thursday.

He was confident that the island would not only attract local visitors but also foreigners.

Rabies-free city

Separately, the Jakarta Food Security, Maritime and Agriculture Agency said the sterilisation program was part of the city’s efforts to maintain its status as a rabies-free city since 2004.

“Controlling the stray cat population without eliminating them or inflicting harm on animals can be done through sterilisation,” said agency head Suharini “Eli” Eliawati on Friday.

She went on to say that the uncontrolled growth of the feral cat population in Jakarta had caused various problems, including property damage and an increased risk of disease.

KPKP Jakarta recorded 465 reports last year regarding disturbances caused by free-roaming cats, meanwhile the estimated number of stray cats in the city reached 860,000 last year.

Eli further extended her gratitude to the Indonesian Veterinary Association (PDHI), practising veterinarians, animal lover communities and other volunteers who took part in the sterilisation efforts in the city.

“Active participation from the community is very helpful in realising an animal-friendly Jakarta [...] and maintaining its status as a rabies-free region,” she continued.

Animal husbandry professor Ronny Rachman at IPB University in Bogor, West Java, explained previously in a statement that the explosion in the stray cat population potentially resulted in serious health problems.

The cats can spread rabies, toxoplasma and other zoonotic diseases, including Covid-19, he added.

In Australia, for example, feral cats have become predators of native Australian wildlife.

He believes that sterilisation is one of the most effective ways to control the domestic cat population.

However, it must be implemented regularly and consistently through collaboration with various stakeholders.

“Cooperation between veterinarians and cat lover communities will greatly determine the success of the cat population control, in addition to the government’s role,” Ronny said. -

The Jakarta Post

Asia News Network