Wildlife of Muara Angke Reserve: Jakarta

Watching wildlife is relaxing wherever you are. But, watching the massive variety of animal and bird life in the Muara Angke Wildlife Reserve is another experience entirely. Like most national Parks that I have visited, this reserve is superbly beautiful.

Watching wildlife at Jakarta’s last frontier

Jakartans may not deem it unnecessary to explore the wilderness of Sumatra or the deep jungles of Kalimantan in order to observe the behavior of different animal species, as they can watch them in the Suaka Margasatwa Muara Angke (SMMA-Muara Angke Wildlife Reserve), in the north of the city.

It is a coastal nature and wildlife protection zone left behind by the Dutch colonial government, which by the decree of the Governor General of the Netherlands East Indies dated June 17, 1939, determined an area of only 15.40 hectares for this purpose.

With the discovery of various unique and rare wildlife species in the area, a ministerial decree in 1998 declared its wildlife reserve status, with a forest area of 25.02 hectares in the coastal zone of Jakarta Bay and the mouth of the Angke River.

Based on a study by the Institute of Mangrove Research and Development (IMReD), SMMA is a mangrove forest still found today along the bay, serving as the habitat of wild animals, particularly birds. Data indicates the existence of 76 bird species, of which 17 are protected and 50 others endemic, with 10 migratory birds for company.

“Uniquely, an endemic bird of Java Island not found in other regions, bubut Jawa/Sunda or coucal (Centropus nigrorufus), is among the other species in the reserve,” said Resijati Wasito, a staffer of Jakarta’s Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA).

The bird, eating insects and grains, belongs to the category of endangered species in the world. A BirdLife International study in 2001 mentioned Muara Gembong, Cangkring, Muara Cimanuk, Sidoarjo and Cilacap as its Java habitats, in addition to Muara Angke.

According to Resijati, who has been a ranger for almost 20 years, the waterbirds living in this zone include kuntul or egret (egretta sp), mandar batu or common moorhen (Gallinule chloropus), belibis or whistling duck (Dendrocygna spp) and pecuk ular or oriental darter (Anhinga melanogaster).

“They can be observed at around 5 a.m. During the day they feed at other places. Muara Angke is also a feeding area for water birds from the Rambut Island Wildlife Reserve, Seribu Archipelago, and a resting spot for migratory birds,” he noted.

Among the wild animal species there are the python (Python reticulates), cobra (Naja sputatrix), belang or striped snake (Bungarus fasciatus), biawak or monitor lizard (Varanus salvator) and macaque (Macaca fascularis).

“There are five groups of monkeys in Muara Angke, comprising five to 15 individuals per group,” said Irin, a guard working since 2000.

He noticed that the primates, frequently gathering around the guard post and entrance gate, “number about 60 and rising as many female macaques are carrying babies,” Irin added.

Jakartans have reason to be proud of the rich resources of vegetation in SMMA. It is a muddy marsh forest where 42 plant species grow, 11 of which are under the mangrove family such as pidada (Sonneratia caseolaris), bakau (Rhizopora spp), nipah (Nypa fruticans) and Api-api (Avicennia marina).

Damaged facilities

Visitors can watch wildlife behavior and vegetation by walking along pathways in the form of hundreds of meters of wooden bridges less than 1.5 meters wide. “The paths above muddy soil have become more rickety each year. With the rainy season and floodwater from Angke River inundating the forest, many are broken and just gone. The guard post and information station also needs renovation,” complained Resijati.

A tower, 17 meters high, has also been built for animal observation. Unfortunately, however, several rungs of its ladder are worn out and rusty, a real danger for people who may wish to climb it. At present, visitors are not allowed to use the tower due to its poor condition.

Individuals or groups wishing to visit or conduct activities in the wildlife reserve should report to the Jakarta BKSDA office on Jl. Salemba Raya, Central Jakarta, next to the campus of Persada Indonesia University-YAI. After obtaining permits, be sure to carry binoculars to make observation easier. Guidebooks on birds or the zone are also available in the office.

The bus terminal at Grogol is the most convenient place from which to reach Muara Angke if one chooses to use public transportation. From downtown Kota some buses also ply the route to the reserve.

Visitors should stop in front the entrance of Pantai Indah Kapuk (housing complex), before going by bicycle taxi or walking about 500 meters to the gate of the sanctuary.

Private cars may drive to the gate directly from the complex.

Bambang Parlupi, Contributor, Jakarta