Jaguar Ragunan Accused Of Unmaintained, Manager: Not Everything Thin Means It Hurts

Jaguar screenshot in Ragunan (TikTok)

JAKARTA The Ragunan Wildlife Park (TMR) has opened its voice about the circulation of a video of a January that appears to be walking slowly in the zoo area. In the viral video on TikTok, many netizens suspect that the animal is sick because it looks thin and weak.

Jaguar in the video is known as Jalu, a male animal that has lived in Ragunan since 2007. Head of Public Relations of TMR Wahyudi Bambang explained that the assumption that Jalu is sick or not being taken care of is a wrong and baseless assessment.

"Not everything that looks thin means pain. Not everything that looks slowly means weak. Let's learn to look deeper before making an assessment," Wahyudi said in a written statement, Thursday, July 24.

Jalu is currently 22 years old. This age, according to Wahyudi, far exceeds the average age of January in the wild which is only around 12'15 years.

Under the supervision of conservation institutions, January can live up to the age of 20. Jalu has surpassed that. This is an achievement that shows that animal care in Ragunan Wildlife Park is carried out seriously, consistently, and animal welfare-based," he said.

As we get older, Wahyudi continued, physical changes are natural in animals, as humans do. These changes can be in the form of slowing movements, decreased stamina, to a milder body posture.

It doesn't mean they are sick or neglected. In fact, we ensure that senior animals such as Jalu still get their right to activities such as walking, sunbathing, swimming, and climbing. This is important for their physical and mental stimulation," he explained.

According to him, the placement of Jalu in demonstration cages is also not without consideration. As a conservation agency, TMR believes that all animals, both young and elderly, have the right to remain visible, recognized, and appreciated.

As a form of transparency, Wahyudi said that TMR had distributed Jalu treatment documentation through the official Instagram account on June 26, 2023. In the upload, it can be seen that the process of cutting nails is part of periodic care.

"In addition, Jalu also receives a thorough health check, income to stimulate its natural behavior, and the intake of nutritious food according to its needs," he said.

Wahyudi also hopes that the public can better understand the condition of wildlife and get complete education about how to care for them, especially when they are old.