RI SAFARI PARK TO RECEIVE SIX KANGAROOS FROM AUSTRALIA

Cisarua, Bogor, Feb. 27 (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Safari Park (TSI) at Cisarua, West Java, is expected to receive six kangaroos from Australia in late March or early April 2009, to mark cooperation between the Australian Zoo and TSI.

The cooperation between the two zoos was initiated several years ago, when Steve Irwin was still active in managing the Australian zoo, TSI Director Tony Sumampau said here on Friday.

Irwin, a 44-year-old TV presenter known as the "Crocodile Hunter, was killed by a stingray barb that went through his chest, while filming an underwater documentary last September 2006.

Terri Raines Irwin, Steve Irwin's widow, visited TSI Cisarua last year, for some agenda on wildlife conservation.

The six kangaroos would be part of 15 kangaroos to be given to Indonesia by Australia, Sumampau said.

However, the zoo's staff would first monitor to see whether the six kangaroos could adapt themselves to the TSI environment, he said.

Only if the six kangaroos were successful, the rest would be sent to Indonesia, he said.

Based on the past experiences, Australian kangaroos could not survive long in Indonesia, and therefore the Australian zoo had halted the cooperation program previously, he said.

However, TSI's management had learned the lessons from the past experiences and would assign two keepers and one veterinarian, who had been trained in Australia, to watch over the kangaroos, he said.

The Australian Zoo would also give a pair of Koala bear to TSI Cisarua, he said.

The Indonesian natural resources and forest protection director general last year signed a memorandum of understanding on the plan to receive two Koala bears from Australia, Sumampau said.

The two Koala bears might arrive in 2011 because TSI needed to plant more eucalyptus trees as the animals eat eucalyptus leaves, he said.

TSI has so far had Papua's kangaroos known as 'Walabi', which is smaller than Australia's kangaroos.

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