Aimed to retain the Komodo dragons in Hungary

Sóstó Zoo, the country’s largest animal park, located in Nyíregyháza, NE Hungary, has recently received the director and chief vet of the Jakarta Ragunan Zoo. Both parties are interested in signing a new cooperation agreement.

As Dr. Endre Papp, Vice Director of Zoology explains to Diplomacy & Trade, “a five-year contract, which included the loan of a pair of Komodo dragons to Hungary, expired this year and the Indonesian colleagues’ visit was aimed to reaffirm our intention of further strengthening our cooperation and determine the direction of the next contract cycle.”

All the participants expressed their pleasure regarding the successful collaboration so far and “we are hopeful that this cooperation is going to continue. We’ll do our best to achieve that by developing professional programs,” Dr Papp says.

This effort is also supported by the Indonesian Embassy in Budapest, as it was expressed by Ambassador Wening Esthyprobo Fatandari who also visited the Sóstó Zoo and then had dinner with the mayor of the city, Dr. Ferenc Kovács. The Ambassador reminded that the new cooperation should continue to involve the training of Indonesian zoo staff who were here to learn zoo management and to care for African animals as part of the previous contract, also.

Dr. Endre Papp points out that is it the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry that is responsible for drafting the new contract. The management of Sóstó Zoo formulated its proposals – that includes the working out of a scientific research program, the training of Indonesian animal caregivers in Hungary as well as the exchanges of certain animals and the continued presence of the Komodo dragons in Nyíregyháza – have been forwarded to the relevant Indonesian authorities.