Photo by IDN Times/Dhana Kencana. Indonesia, 2020.
Pekalongan, IDN Times — Owa Jawa or Javan Gibbon (Hylobates moloch) is an endemic primate only found in Java Island and Petungkriyono tropical rainforest in Pekalongan, Central Java is their exclusive habitat. This is because the forest has a high diversity of forage species with a density of forest roofs (canopies) which have been maintained to date. This condition also ensures the supply of fruit as a source of food for the Javan gibbon, abundant throughout the year.
Individual Owa Jawa has a territory area of 16-17 hectares with daily home range 1,500 meters. This animal has characteristics of gray hair, black face and white eyebrows. Photo by Dhana Kencana. Indonesia, 2020. Owa Jawa has long arms, slender body, with an average body weight of 5-9 kilograms. Their evolution occurred in hands that are longer than legs. Photo by Dhana Kencana. Indonesia, 2020. The reproduction circle of female Owa Jawa is every 2-3 years with a gestation period of 7-8 months. The Owa Jawa infants are usually 2-3 births in the 3-4 years interval. Photo by Dhana Kencana. Indonesia, 2020. One troop of Owa Jawa in Petungkriyono forest consists of a pair of male and female parents with a number of their individual infants. They never get down and touch the ground. Photo by Dhana Kencana. Indonesia, 2020. As monogamous animals, Owa Jawa do not change partners and tend to be loyal to one partner. The life span of Owa Jawa can reach the age of 30-35 years. Photo by Dhana Kencana. Indonesia, 2020. In 2020, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) declared the Owa Jawa or Javan Gibbon on the Red List of endangered species (EN). Photo by Dhana Kencana. Indonesia, 2020. Owa Jawa is stated as endangered based on a prediction of a population shrinkage of 50% or for more than three generations. It is starting from 2001-2015, 2016-2030, and 2031-2045. Photo by Dhana Kencana. Indonesia, 2020. The population decline is estimated to continue along with the many conditions that threaten Owa Jawa, such as the loss or degradation of its forest habitat and hunting for subsistence. Photo by Dhana Kencana. Indonesia, 2020. The IUCN has put Owa Jawa, which is one of the seven species of gibbon in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, in critically endangered (CR) or critical status in 1996 and 2000. Photo by Dhana Kencana. Indonesia, 2020. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) also put Owa Jawa in Appendix 1, in 28 August 2020. Photo by Dhana Kencana. Indonesia, 2020. Indonesian Government declared Owa Jawa as a protected animal through the decree of the Environment and Forestry Minister Number P.92/MENLHK/SETJEN?KUM.1/8 in 2018. Photo by Dhana Kencana. Indonesia, 2020. The survival of Owa Jawas depend on forest trees as their protection because they live arboreal, move clinging from branch to another tree branch. Photo by Dhana Kencana. Indonesia, 2020.
Read the original article in bahasa Indonesia on the IDN Timeswebsite.
December 30, 2020
