Java Island, especially East Java has rich national parks preserved from ancient times. These national parks of East Java is well known until today, and the only hope of the people of East Java to preserve their natural heritages such as :
Baluran National Park
Baluran National Park is located in east Java province, exactly at Banyuwangi regency. Baluran national Park is a wild game preserve and occupies about 25.000 hectares of open savannah, forests, and hill country to the north of Banyuwangi. The park is a haven for a great variety of native animals and bird species. Visitors to Baluran National Park can observe the animals in their native habitat from a specially constructed tower, which also offers a commanding view of Madura straits to the north and the Ijen plateau in the southwest. The biodiversity of Baluran National Park has many useful purposes and plays many important roles for human kind so that its existence should be wisely conserved and managed. The beautifully and uniqueness of this biodiversity would enrich our life and provide many attractive objects for research and tourism purposes. Besides the existences of many species of floras and attractive mammals, you could also enjoy the sound of bird singing. Baluran National Park can be easily reached from Bali, just crossing straits of Bali by Ferry (30 minutes crossing) than continued by car within 2.5 hours drive to Baluran National Park location. The park can be reached also from Juanda airport of Surabaya by car about 28 Km. Baluran National Park is very rich with its native animals which is an endangered and protected animals. The following animals can be found at this park :
1. WILD BOAR (Sus sp)
There are 2 species of wild boar in Baluran National Park, namely Grass Wild Boar (Sus scrova) and Common Wild Boar (Sus verrucosus). The population of both are predicted about 150 animals. The body of common wild boar is bigger than grass wild boar. This animal usually borns 4-12 children is August to September. Wild boar can be found almost on the whole areas but is easily often seen in Bekol and Bama. Wild boar lives in a group of about 10-25 animals that is led by a strong adult male one. Wild boar is actually not proptected but they will be protected when they go inside the park. They feed on worms, young plants, tubers, palm seeds and death materials.
2. STONE CAT (Felis bengalensis)
Stone cat is an endangered and protected animal. The size about 80cm length from head to tail. Body color is similar with leopard, has strong muscles foot that makes this animal is able to jump high and long. This animal has also able to climb the tree and hunt the prey alone. Stone cat feeds on birds and small mammals. Stone cat is very fond of to stay in the hilly or mountainous area such as in Gelongseran, Talpat, Kacip and Widuri.
3. MANGROVE CAT (Felis viverrina)
Mangrove cat is an endangered and protected animal with body size around 90cm length from head to tail, and 15 kg weight and gray color hairs with some nodes on it which are have rugged textures compare to another cat species. Mangrove cat is categorized in the wild and aggressive animal that is able tio hunt the prey alone. Mangrove cat feeds on birds, small mammals and fishes. In Baluran National Park, mangrove cat spreads out on all habitat types, but is often seen along the mangrove forest or Batangan-Bekol-Bama road. At night Mangrove cat is easily to identify by its shiny eyes when the flashlight shine it.
4. SPOTTED LEOPARD (Panthera pardus)
This species is a carnivorous animal from the Felidae family and genus : Panthera. Spotted Leopard is a protected animal in Indonesia. Spotted Leopard has 90-130 cm body length from the head to tail, yellowish brown color body with some black nodes on it. Spotted Leopard is able to climb, run, leap, swim and catch their prey in the dark by its good smell and will roar when facing a danger. Spotted Leopard feeds on deer, small antelope, wild boar, monkeys and etc. The home range of this animal sometimes can be seen in Surah Uling, Batangan-Bekol road, Bama, Kelor, Popongan, Kacip, Labuan Merak, Bilik, Curah Widuri, Lempuyang, Demang, Curah Tangis, Betek (petak 36) and Telogo.
5. JACKALS (Cuon alpinus)
Jackals are one of the predator animals that lives suitably in Baluran National Park and endangered and be protected species in Indonesia. This species has 800-900 mm body length from head to tail, 305-345 length of tail, 78-87 mm legs, 95-105 mm ear, and 10-20 kg weight. Normally red colour when adults and blackiest when a baby, dark and short mouth, whitish hairs on ear, dark colour on the foot. It has flicker hair on wet season. Its shall quite similar with the dog has but it is bigger and wider on the mouth. Jackals are very active at night, spend the day on the dark area, in the shadow or in its nest. When facing a danger, they usually bark loudly and noisily. They usually hunt in a group of more than 20 animals to catch deer, small antelope, wild boar, even wild catle or banteng. This animal is able to jump suddenly without running over 3-3,5 m. They breed in November - February for 4-6 broods with 6 months pregnancy period. Jackals are very fond of to stay in a variance habitat from lowland forest to 3000 m above sea level. Jackals in Baluran National Park can be seen crossing Batangan-Bekol road (HM 75, HM 80, HM 105, HM 115), Glengseran mountain, Bama, Manting, Kelor, Kacip, Labuhan Merak, Bilik, Jeding, Curah Widuri and Lampuyang savanna.
6. BLACK LONG TAILED MONKEY (Presbytis cristata)
This monkey is included in Cercopithecidae family, has black color body and orange color when it is a baby. Like other monkeys, this animal will also produce some pigment when mating period. Black Long Tailed Monkey has a crest on its head, longer front leg than hind leg makes they look funny. They live in a grou[p of about 8-25 animals each group on the top of tree canopy. Male body length is 53-56 cm but female is 47-50 cm, tail is 69 cm length, and weight is 5-8 kg. According to the research activity in 1995 it showed that this animal population was 974 seen in Manting block, Bama, Batu Hitam, Kajang, Gedung Bunder, and Si Kedung. The animal activities begin at 05.30 am and end at 18.00 pm as well as long tailed macaque but this animal is seen more calm and never makes noisy voice for fighting over food. Mating process is almost as the same as long tailed macaque. When facing a danger, the group leader will give a sign by its voice : kek…kek…kek…ek….., then other monkeys are running for hiding or swaying from tree to another tree. When looks safe, the group leader will follow them slowly. This animal has a good instinct to know its home range or habitat. They feed on fruits and young leaves.
7. SMALL ENTELOPE (Muntiacus muntiak)
Small Entelope is included in Deer family (Cervidae) and has smaller and slimmer body that deer's but is more active. Its body has brown color, subtie and glitter hairs, with some nodes when a baby. The male has short and tough horns, small but strong leg, 30 kg weight, sex maturity is at 10 years old. They live solitary and easy to adapt with its environment on a various habitats from lowland forest to 2100 m above sea level. They feed on leaves. Mating season is in August - October. They are monogamous animal, live in population spread out around the park, but relatively easy to see on Bekol savanna, Bama, Manting even crossing the Batangan - Bekol road. When facing a danger, they will run inside to the bushes. This animal has a miserable face but actively moving.
8. MACAQUE/LONG TAILED MONKEY (Macaca fascicularis)
This species is included in Cercopithecidae family, all the body is covered by hairs, brown color on the side part and upper part, lighter color on the under part, and whitish hair color on their face (some of them are whitish red color). According to the field observation it showed that the animal would produce some pigment in the mating period. This pigment will change the black color body when it is a baby to gray color body when it is mature. The male has 43-65 cm long, female is 40-55 cm. This animal lives in a group, has a given home range which is always protected, they live in a secondary forest. In Baluran National Park, this species is found only 2000 spread out through the park, mostly in Bekol, Bama, Camping ground, Batu Hitam, even around the Batangan office and along Batangan - Karangtekok road. This funny animal usually begins its activities by defecation activity in the morning after get it up. Then they will move looking for food, take a rest at noon on the big tree (spend its time by plating or other activities), then continue its moving to look for food until late afternoon and sleep on the big tree for overnight. They feed on some fruits, leaves, tuber, even often fishing crabs in the beach by using its tail. This activity is an attractive moment to look at. This species are always noisy because they are very often to fight over the food among others. Mating activity is done anytime depends on its biology needs. It is amazing that one adult male is able to copulate with 9 females in a day. Another attractive moment is when the female shows its sex organ to male as a sign that she is ready to be copulated with. When facing the danger, the group leader will give a sign by its voice : koek … koek … koek …, then the others is running out. When it safe, the leader will sound its voice : u….uuu….uuu…u…
9. DEER (Cervus timorensis)
Deer has reddish brown color body, 100 - 110 cm height, 60 kg weight, and 180-210 length, with its 100 cm beautiful horns, this animal looks good looking among other animals. This species live in a group consists of about 300 deer. Even the warden ever saw about 1000 to 1500 deer in one big group. When facing something dangerous the male deer as group leader will give a sign by its voice : … kaich…kaich… kaich… this sign will be continued by the other to another. This species can live on various habitats from lowland forest to 2600 m above sea level but savanna is the most suitable habitat for them. The attractive moment of this animal is its behavior and activity. They usually graze in the morning and afternoon and will take a rest at noon. The mating season is in June - July which is indicated by its wilder activity than usual while sounding its voice …houw…houw…houw… The attractive moment happens when the male is rubbing its head against to the ground, hold its horn up with some grasses on it as a crown, then will rotate it to attract the female. The female usually breeds two children (about 285 days pregnant). In Baluran National Park, this animal is the easiest animal seen around the park in Bekol savanna, Bama, Balanan, Lempuyang, Labuhan Merak, sometimes crossing the main road (out of the park) to the village.
10. WILD BUFFALO (Bubalus bubalis)
Wild bufallo is a herbivorous animal included in Bovidae family, has a grayish black body color, whitish gray color on the lower part neck, and white color on its lip and eye. Baluran's wild buffalo is generally bigger than villager's wild buffalo on the community. The male has 1000 kg weight and 150 cm height. Its grassing activity is usually in the morning and afternoon. They will take a rest at noon under the canopy tree while eating. This species is intolerant animal to heat, so that they usually sink on the waterhole to avoid the shinning. They live in a group usually consist of 6-63 animals each group. When facing the dangerous thing comes by. The mating season is in July - August and October - November. The female will rub its body against to the ground, bellow, side another buffalo, hold its tail up when running. Sex maturity of buffalo is about 3-3,5 years old. Wild buffalo in Baluran formerly was villager's domesticated animal along time ago and growing in the forest. During the world war, that animal wasn't taken care of anymore and the last became wild. One of the evidence is the ancestor burial of Mbah Cungking on western part of Bekol savanna. This population in Baluran National Park in 1989 was 1268 then decreased drastically only 226 in 1998 due to culling its population by the President Aid program from 1986 to 1995. Now its population is predicated only 25-45 spread out around the savanna, so that it is rather difficult to see this animal in the big herd except on the dry season at bama or Bekol waterholes.
11. WILD CATTLE (Banteng/Bos javanicus)
This animal has a good looking, big and strong body with a couple of horns on its head. The male's horns are black, sharp and front curve while the female's horns are shorter and back curve shape. The young banteng (sub adult male) has brown hair color and will become darker and darker as the age is getting older and older, while the female has reddish brown color on the bear and leg to knee part is white color. This strong animal has about 1.300 kg weight, 170 cm height (female is 150 cm). Systematically banteng is included in Bovidae family. This animal lives in a group, each group consists of 7-25 animals. Led by one strongest animal as a leader. This leadership would change from time to time as the generation pass by so that we could see the attractive moment when the younger strong banteng is fighting with the older over the leadership of group. People believe that banteng in Baluran National Park is bigger that banteng in other places due to its suitable habitat (savanna). The breeding season of banteng is in August - September that is signed by its noisy voice. The youngest age for breeding is 3 years old. Banteng can live until 21-25 years old. Another attractive moment of this animal is its activity and behavior. This animal browses and grasses in savanna in the morning and afternoon, and will take a rest under canopy tree at noon in the monsoon forest. They usually drink at the late afternoon or even night on the waterholes even sometimes in the beach looking for salty. Banteng while eating often holds its head up and flaps its ears to know the dangerous thing. When they find some strange thing, the younger and the female will run inside the forest first then the male follows. Bateng can be found almost in all Java lowland areas before 1940 but after world war II it can be seen only around 1.500 banteng live in conservation areas. This population in Baluran National Park is only 282 spread out in monsoon forest, savanna, and coastal forest according to the inventory research done by wardens in 1997. The latest census in 1999 showed only 103 bantengs found in Bekol savanna, Bama, Kendal, Derbus, Kramat, Asem Sabuk, and Curah Udang.
12. GREEN PEAFOWL (Pavo muticus)
The easiest bird we can see in this park is the green peafowl (pavo muticus). It is included to the Phasianidae family. The adult male peafowl size 210 cm long (from the beak to the tail), the color of feather on the neck and breast : shine green, the amount of long tail feather : 100-150 (golden and brownish green) with some blue eye node shape, surrounded by two green color rings. The adult female peafowl size 120 height (smaller that the male), the body color looks not as good as the male, tail's feather doesn't long, beak : brown color, leg: black. This species population spread out Java and Malaya Peninsula. In Indonesia you could find this animals on West Java (Ujung Kulon National Park), central of Java, and East Java (Baluran National Park, Alas Purwo National Park). The population of this species is about 408-616 (inventory, 1994). The uniqueness of these animals is the crest on its head. Green peafowl is often seen playing on the open area which has many species of grasses growing. Peafowl eats grain and seeds, They sleep on the high trees to avoid the predators. In the mating season in August - Novembers the male will show his feather wider and wider. It is as like as a giant fan to attract the females and chase the other males away. The female peafowl lays about 4-8 eggs on her nest among the grasses growing or other plants.
13. GREEN JUNGLE FOWL (Gallus varrius)
Adult male size 60cm height, color of body's feather greenish black (golden color on the tail's part), wing and abdomen is black, tail feathers are about 16, neck feather round shape and short, it has a voice : ceek…krik…kreek…., crest one, round shape. Adult female body size is smaller that male with yellowish brown feathers and irregular stripes shape, egg size is as big as "Kate fowl" has. Chicken's feather is almost the same as adult female has, Jungle fowl chicken is usually actively moving and able to fly on several days, There are several factors distinguishing the male and female chickens, female slowly moving (not active), not good looking, weak voice, small and long beak, short and little leg, revising and weak aye, feather is growing faster, male actively moving, good looking, hard voice, short and big beak, bigger and stronger leg, big and shiny eye, the feather is growing slower. The jungle fowl could be found in Malaya, Philippines, Thailand, India, Java (central and east Java), Madura, Bali, Lombok, Flores, nad Nusa Tenggara. At Baluran national Park it is usually seen along the Batangan - Bekol road, savanna, and along Bama - Bekol road in the morning and afternoon.