With all the unique landscapes such as tropical forests, volcanoes, islands and oceans, it’s no wonder that Indonesia is a country filled with flora and fauna. The different environments also make it sustainable for many different animals that you can’t find anywhere else in the world. You can find some of these animals in the zoo, but typically these animals live in the jungle and would need effort for nature-lovers who want to see it in their natural habitat.
Here are 5 protected unusual animals:
Komodo
The Komodo or Komodo dragon is the largest lizard there is to exist and has become the iconic animal in Komodo island, East Nusa Tenggara. If you ever go island hopping, you will be able to see it walking around the Komodo national park, Rinca island, Gili Motang, and Gili Dasami.
Since the komodo only exists in Indonesia and is the most endangered animal, it has become a protected animal by the government. The body can grow up to three meters long and weights around 100 kg. Although it moves slowly, people must still be cautious of this animal as it has a dangerous poison in its saliva. It is capable to infected its prey that would be dead within a day.
Merak
The Indonesian Peafowl or Merak is a type of bird that lives in Papua, Indonesia. It has been recognized as one of the prettiest birds in the world due to its combination of colors consisting of blue, gold, and green through the body with a specific pattern.
Merak is one of the birds protected by the Indonesian government because its population in the open forest of the savana keeps decreasing every year. Moreover, illegal hunting dan deforestation also plays a part in causing the amount of the Merak to decrease over time.
Anoa
Anoa is one of the unusual animals in Indonesia that you can find around the South East of Sulawesi. Because of its physical features, it is mostly likened to the buffalo. Even so, the anoa is a smaller size with only around 75 cm tall, compared to the buffalos that can reach more than 100 cm tall.
This animal has a slow breed cycle and is only capable to breed one baby anoa in one year. Not only that, anoas can only only live up to 30 years. These conditions make it difficult for the anoa to populate the area it lives in. The number continues to decrease and is close to extinction, moreover in some places with the coldest temperature in Indonesia.
Illegal hunting also plays a part to its road to extinction as people collect its thorns for their antique collection. That is why the government made anoa a protected animal and banned illegal hunting.
Orang Utan
Out of all the animals in this list, orang utan is one of the famed and protected animal. It is generally found in Sumatra, East Kalimantan, and Sulawesi. Its natural habitat is around rainforests, which is parted by three different species corresponding to their original habitat.
What makes it a difficult animal to populate is because it has a slow breed cycle and females only give birth once in around eight to nine years. The Indonesian government has therefore put special attention to the orang utan population and protected it by creating a forest conservatory area.
Javan Rhinoceros
Badak Bercula Satu or also known as the Javan Rhinoceros becomes one of the unusual animals in Indonesia that you can find in West Java. This type of rhinoceros is special, for it is one of the types of rhinoceros that only have one horn. Nowadays, you can only find it in Ujung Kulon national park in West Java.
The Indonesian government have also made efforts to protect the species of Javan Rhinoceros. That is the reason why it is found around the conservatory forest in Ujung Kulon. The officers keep trying to save the breeding cycle so that the population will not decrease easily.
Which animal are you most keen on seeing? Tell us what you think in the comments section below!
