Lisa Siregar

Helmi Feril is in charge of feeding Monas’s 75 deer. The animals, which get eight sacks of cut grass and 5 kilos of fruit every other day, are an attraction for visitors. (Photo: Lisa Siregar, JG)

Hungry, Deer? Monas’ Ravenous Herd

Prancing excitedly, delicately tiptoeing through grassy glades, gazing doe-eyed across misty meadows: Deer can conjure up some of the most romantic images of wildlife in the human mind.

They’re not images Helmi Feril shares. One of the keepers for the herd of axis deer at Monas park, he says they are some of the most gluttonous animals he has ever seen, scrumming to be first in line for the sacks of food they get every other day and grubbing along with their faces to the ground until there is barely any grass left amid the mud of their enclosure.

“They are always munching the grass,” he sighs. Amid the bare soil and leaves there are so many small rocks that the grass doesn’t grow back quickly. (The only small reminder of the wild, meanwhile, is a sad, concreted pile of rockery that doubles as a drinking fountain for the animals.)

Of course, what seems to be gluttony is just as likely self-preservation, as the 75 deer that now hoof around in the 12-hectare enclosure — tucked into the southeast corner of the national monument park — are in a space that zoo experts reckon should ideally hold no more than 50. For those animals with longer memories, it must seem something like a sardine tin compared to the freedom they had when the enclosure held only the original 12 bucks and does at its opening in 2003.

Staff from Ragunan Zoo go to the enclosure every other day to deliver eight sacks of cut grass and five kilograms of fruit, but it is often not enough for the 75 deer. The caretakers — and visitors to the park — are forced to supplement that diet with branches of leaves from trees surrounding the enclosure. The predicament doesn’t seem to make the deer overtly sad — that’s a trick that only cartoon animators imagining Bambi’s watery, dinner-plate eyes can pull off — but if only they knew it, the deer might take heart today of all days. After all, as Jakarta celebrates its 482nd anniversary today, it is also an anniversary of sorts for the deer: the enclosure was established six years ago by then Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso as part of renovations for the city’s 476th anniversary .

“Pak Sutiyoso likes animals, these deer and the pigeons were all his idea,” said Helmi, who has looked after the deer for five years and is one of four staff members tasked with their care. “When he was still governor, he visited here every week or two, after exercising in the park with the staff from City Hall.”

Current governor Fauzi Bowo does not visit the deer, he added.

Ignoring criticism that the noise and pollution would make the deer’s life a nightmare, Sutiyoso arranged for the deer to come from the grounds of the National Intelligence Agency headquarters, from the governor’s house in Cibubur, East Jakarta, and from donors.

The white-spotted, light brown deer are most commonly found in India and are generally sensitive creatures. The ones in Monas park, at least, are apparently also somewhat randy — and fertile — as the overcrowding issue is not new. By 2007, the numbers had swelled in just four years to a fence-busting 100 deer, so more than half were relocated to Ragunan Zoo. There are now 19 mature stags and 29 adult does in the area, with the remainder fawns and yearlings. The oldest stag is 8 years old.

The caretakers are responsible for monitoring the animals and report to vets at Ragunan Zoo. “I watch their attitudes and fill in forms from the vet about whether they walk enough, eat enough and their general health,” Helmi said. Sick deer “act weird,” he said. “All their hair usually goes up, and they like to be alone. Sick deer usually just lay down under a tree, away from the others.”

As part of his job, Helmi stays at the park two nights a week, and his sleep is sometimes disturbed by the sounds of deer fighting. That means a series of extra health checks in the morning to see if any of his charges have been seriously hurt.

While the deer and their caretakers have relatively quiet lives during the week, that all changes during weekends. Visitor numbers double or even triple on weekends and holidays, vendors in the park say. The deer are one of the main attractions, especially for children.

Angele and Ram, a mother and son from Medan visiting the park for the first time, sat on a park bench while Angele’s grandchildren ran off to see the deer.

“It’s more comfortable for me to just sit here and enjoy the afternoon,” Angele said.

The deer’s little corner is quiet, away from the bustle of football games, kite-flying and cackling teenagers swaggering around the park. Couples come to sit quietly and stare into each other’s eyes or silently watch the deer watching them back, and families come to show their small children the strange animals. Stern-looking signs warn not to feed the deer, but the words often fall on deaf ears as shy hands hold out leaves and snacks for the deer to nibble through the fence. But then when it comes to these deer’s stomachs, it seems every little helps.

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