Wait for KKP, Siamang Baby Born in Taman Rimba Jambi is Temporarily Called Medina

Head of the Taman Rimba Jambi Technical Implementation Unit (UPTD) Erliani holding a baby siamang. (ANTARA/Thaliqah)

JAMBI - The female siamang (gibbon) baby born at Taman Rimba Jambi Zoo is temporarily called Medina.

Head of the Taman Rimba Jambi Technical Implementation Unit (UPTD), Erliani, said that the Ministry of Environment and Forestry would later name the offspring of a female siamang named Mongky with a male named Keling.

Udin (25), a siamang keeper at Taman Rimba Jambi, said that Medina was Mongky's third child, who had been pregnant three times but her first and second children did not survive.

According to him, Medina could be said to have been born prematurely because generally siamangs are pregnant for eight months but Mongky gave birth to her at six months' gestation.

Medina was born in her mother's cage on March 11, 2023. Keepers were then forced to separate her from her mother on March 28, 2023, because the mother could not take care of her.

After finding out that Medina's mother did not want to take care of her baby, the guards prepared the equipment needed to take care of the baby siamang.

The guards prepared a small cage with a heating lamp, baby diapers, and formula milk for Medina.

"Currently Medina has not been bathed. She can only be bathed when her body's immune system is strong," said Udin in Jambi, as quoted by Antara, Monday, July 3.

He said that next Medina would be taught and trained to recognize the environment and climb trees.

Once deemed ready, Medina will be moved from a small cage to a large cage, like her mother. Usually, siamangs are released into large cages when they are two to three years old.

Medina is now starting to learn to recognize her surroundings, play in her cage, and make noise when she asks to be picked up. She used to sleep leaning against a stuffed rabbit that the keeper prepared in her cage.

Siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus) is classified as a rare animal that is threatened with extinction. Therefore, Erliani hopes that the siamangs in Taman Rimba Jambi can breed well.

"Hopefully in the future, our animals here can breed more, because the success of our Jungle Park can be seen from the breeding of its animals," she said.

She said that Taman Rimba Jambi supports wildlife conservation efforts as well as education about animal conservation.

"We already have a program where keepers provide education to visitors directly by letting the animals out," she said.