10 March 2022 – For the first time in history, a long-term rehabilitated Javan leopard was released! This happened as part of the Javan Leopard Progam of Cikananga & Wanicare. This means it was an exciting day for not only Javan Leopard Rasi but also for all teams involved in the 2.5-year preparations to this very moment and the many years of building the program before.
CCTV cameras show her leaving her enclosure around 12:30 and going quickly through the 30-meter funnel going up Ciremai Mountain.
Now we have reached a milestone in the program, with the help of the GPS collar we will intensively monitor the released leopard for at least 6 months to confirm survival, identify the new territory, and monitor if Rasi might come too close to local villages for example. The first night she stayed in a nearby dark patch of forest and in the days that followed she started very slowly exploring her new environment.
We thank all involved parties and teams Gunung Ciremai BBKSDA Jabar, Indonesianwildlife JAAN (Jakarta Animal Aid Network GLZOO Jogjakarta, Sintas Indonesia and we are looking forward to continuing our work this coming months to ensure the safety of Rasi.
And special thanks to Cikananga sponsors for making this possible: Animal Welfare Foundation Wolfgang Bosche and Fans for Nature!