ProFauna's Earth Day Celebration: Down to Earth with Traditionalists

Celebrating the Earth Day on 22^nd April 2009, ProFauna, a wildlife protection organization in Indonesia, held a seminar called "Javanese Myths on Wildlife Conservation". The seminar which was held on 26th April 2009 in ProFauna'e education center, was attended by more than one hundred participants coming from different backgrounds, ranging from Javanese traditionalist groups, high school students and teachers, university students, humanist organizations, and many more. Among the keynote speakers were Rosek Nursahid, ProFauna's chairman, and two leaders of the traditionalists and also an artist who concerned with environment and nature.

From the discussion at the event, it turned out that in the old times, there were much wisdom practiced by Javanese and other ethnic ancestors dealing with animals. For examples: local people were allowed to hunt animals only on certain days, the use of animal body parts as good luck charm must have come from the animal which died naturally, and the animal conditions which were forbidden to be hunted were female, juvenile, pregnant, mating, etc . Contrary to the recent fact that local people hunt wild animals on any day, kill any endangered animals to get their body parts for good luck charm, and capture any animals without paying attention to their conditions.

The seminar was intended by ProFauna to explore the cultural and traditional myths dealing with animals sustainably to be adhered by local people in order to protect wild animals. It was also aimed to engage more communities including religious, local or traditional group to support ProFauna to spread the wildlife information message wider.

Following the seminar, ProFauna working together with the officials of the villages surrounding ProFauna's headquarters and education center which are located in the foothills of Kawi Mountain in Malang, East Java where hunting for song birds and other wild animals still takes place, is issuing a village hunting ban. The ban will be implemented by the villagers to curb the hunting, which is usually done by urban hunters. ProFauna plans to give assistance to more communities and involve them to save and protect wild animals in Indonesia.