The
Scorpion Foundation Indonesia held a Macaque Keeper Training at the Scorpion
Foundation Indonesia office in Medan on Thursday, March 25, 2021. This one-day training
was held in preparation for the establishment of a Macaque Rescue Center in
Hapesong Baru village, Batang Toru subdistrict, South Tapanuli Regency.
Six
Scorpion Foundation staff members, including the staff from Batang Toru and
from Medan, participated in the training. Trainers included two veterinary
doctors from Sibolangit Animal Rescue Center of the North Sumatra Wildlife
Authority/BBKSDA (Fatimah Sari and Zakia Sheila Faradilla), and a veterinary
doctor from the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme/SOCP (Nanda Faisal
Ikhsan). The three veterinary doctors talked about various aspects of macaque
husbandry, feeding technique, types of suitable diets, etc.
This training focused on two macaque species (Pig-tailed macaque, and Long tailed-macaque).
Macaques (long-tailed macaque and pig-tailed) are the animals that often involve in many conflicts with humans in North Sumatra. In early March of this year, there was another conflict between humans and pig-tailed macaques where a farmer (with initial JS) in Nahornop village in Humbang Hasundutan district of North Sumatra province killed and consumed a mother macaque while its baby was captured. He wanted to kill the baby too but according to his explanation to Scorpion Foundation, canceled to kill it because the macaque baby macaque was to skinny and has almost no meat. Therefore, he decided to hand it over to the wildlife authority (BBKSDA).
Knowing that the Scorpion Foundation was preparing for a macaque rescue center, they asked Scorpion Foundation to taking care of the baby macaque.
Scorpion executive director, Ali Bangun Gea (right) explaining about the plan of establishing a macaque rescue center in Hapesong Baru, Batang Toru.
Veterinary Doctor from North Sumatra provincial wildlife authority (BBKSDA-SU), Fatimah Sari (standing), talking to the participants of the training.
