Supporter Corner | 16 July 2010
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ProFauna’s Supporters on Conservation Mission on the Foothills of Ijen Volcano

ProFauna’s local volunteers, so-called Supporter of ProFauna, together with two foreign volunteers from US and Hon Kong, on Saturday 23 October 2010 went to the foothills of Ijen Mountain, Situbondo, East Java, to hold public education of forest conservation and Wild-Animal-Watching (WAW), a regular activity for the supporters and the public to show love and care towards wildlife without keeping them in cages. The group which was led by 5 ProFauna staff members cosnsisted of 8 university students at the majority, came all the way from Malang city where ProFauna’s head quarter is situated, to share the knowledge of forest and wildlife protection to the local people living by the forests in the area.

On Saturday evening, the team started the activity by playing ProFauna’s film of forest conservation inviting the locals to keep the forest from deforestation which caused another disaster like flood making both humans and wildlife suffer. After the film, ProFauna’s Forest Campaign, Radius Nursidi, led a discussion with the local audiences and highlighted a message that humans, wildlife, and forest should live in harmony.

The audiences, most coming from government coffee plantation peasants, enjoyed watching the film and agreed to Nursidi’s lecture as they were asked not to hunt wildlife by the plantation officials, one of which was Supporter of ProFauna named Arif Rahman. The locals stated that they only scared the wild animals approaching the plantations. The locals were even happier when ProFauna team held a quiz about forest and wildlife conservation after the film show and discussion. Three local people came as winners and each brought a pair of boot and two flash lights, respectively, as the quiz’ presents.

On Monday, 24 October 2010, ProFauna team went WAW by the beautiful landscapes on their way home. Rahman who also facilitated huts for the team to sleep over, stated that 60 bird species, Javan langurs, leopard cats, deer, boars, even the leopards could be found around the plantations.

During WAW, the team found 12 Japanese sparrowhawks (Accipter gularis) in a flock during their migration, jungle fowls (Gallus varius), Sunda minivets (Pericrocotus miniatus), sooty-headed bulbuls (Pycnonotus aurigaster), black drongos (Dicrurus macrocercus), wreathed hornbills(Aceros undulatus), long-tailed shrikes (Lanius schach), graudrongos (Dicrurus leucophaeus), and the woodpeckers (Dendrocopus macei). Not to mention the eight group of Javan langurs completed the WAW that time. Janet Lee and Ari Packer, the foreign volunteers who came to help ProFauna in its educational campaign, said that they had wonderful time during the two days.

Thanks for Arif Rahman and all supporters!