"Wuk wuk wuk wuk wuk," sounds echoed every morning in Lengkong Village, Sukabumi Regency, West Java. The increasingly loud call signaled that a group of endemic primates of West Java and Central Java, the Javan gibbon, was approaching the village inhabited by about 6,000 people.
From one of the houses adjacent to the forest area, Tini Kasmawati (54) hurried after hearing the sounds of the Javan gibbons. Holding her cane and carrying a bag filled with bananas, the visually impaired woman walked along a footpath toward the boundary between the village and the forest.
"Wuk wuk wuk, Abah, Emak, Arashi, Gaza, Sayonara," Tini shouted after arriving at the location. Shortly after, she placed several bananas down upon sensing their presence nearby.
Tini Kasmawati, a woman from Lengkong Village, Sukabumi Regency, West Java, who is concerned about the conservation of Javan gibbons.
One of the Javan gibbons in Lengkong Village, Sukabumi Regency, West Java.
From afar, the group of Javan gibbons began to approach. One by one, the gibbons took and ate the bananas placed on the asbestos sheet covering a pile of firewood.
That was the routine Tini performed two or three times a week. In the past, she used to feed the Javan gibbons daily.
There was a reason behind this routine. Her love for the Javan gibbons, whose population continued to be threatened, motivated Tini to keep doing something despite her limited vision and modest financial means.
The residential atmosphere adjacent to the forest in Lengkong Village, Sukabumi Regency, West Java.
Tini Kasmawati is preparing to leave to give bananas to the Javan gibbons in Lengkong Village, Sukabumi Regency, West Java.
According to the records of the Ministry of Forestry’s Directorate General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation (KSDAE) in 2022, the population of Javan gibbons in West Java and Central Java was estimated at only 4,000 individuals. Furthermore, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified the Javan gibbon as an endangered species since 1989.
As in other areas in West Java and Central Java, the Javan gibbon population in Lengkong is threatened by deforestation, hunting, and electric shock incidents.
"Back in the 1980s, there used to be many Javan gibbons living in the Lengkong area; their calls could be heard every morning from various sources," said Tini.
Tini Kasmawati prepares bananas for the Javan gibbons in Lengkong Village, Sukabumi Regency, West Java.
Tini Kasmawati calls the Javan gibbons as a signal that the bananas are ready to be taken in Lengkong Village, Sukabumi Regency, West Java.
But since large-scale illegal logging began in the early 2000s, the groups disappeared, leaving only a few.
Increasingly dense settlements also brought the remaining gibbons closer to humans.
The continuing loss of their habitat has reduced their food sources. These otherwise shy animals sometimes come near human settlements in search of food.
One of the Javan gibbons with its offspring swinging in the trees in Lengkong Village, Sukabumi Regency, West Java.
One of the Javan gibbons taking a banana given by Tini Kasmawati in Lengkong Village, Sukabumi Regency, West Java.
This situation not only causes conflict between the Javan gibbons and humans but also poses other dangers.
Tini recorded that since 2013, seven Javan gibbons in the Lengkong area have died from electric shocks after entering residential areas.
In response to this issue, since 2014 Tini has chosen to feed the remaining Javan gibbons to prevent conflicts with humans in Lengkong Village.
One of the Javan gibbons eating a banana given by Tini Kasmawati in Lengkong Village, Sukabumi Regency, West Java.
Tini Kasmawati gives an explanation to a student who wants to learn about Javan gibbons in Lengkong Village, Sukabumi Regency, West Java.
Tini is aware that feeding the gibbons is not the ideal conservation method. However, with her limited eyesight, this was the most realistic way for her to express her love for the Javan gibbons in Lengkong.
From the gibbons she has fed over nearly 12 years, six new individuals have been born. They have even formed two new colonies.
The last Javan gibbon born, Tini named Sayonara, a Japanese word meaning farewell. The name symbolically represents Tini’s final encounter in raising the gibbons in her village when they can live independently.
Tini Kasmawati (center) talking with her neighbor in Lengkong Village, Sukabumi Regency, West Java.
Tini Kasmawati opens a food stall at her home in Lengkong Village, Sukabumi Regency, West Java.
With prayers and hope she continues to raise, Tini wishes that the Javan gibbons in Lengkong will continue to grow, be self-reliant, and avoid conflict with humans.
Text and Photo: Rakha Raditya Yahya
Tini Kasmawati prays after the dawn prayer at her home in Lengkong Village, Sukabumi Regency, West Java.
A message about Javan gibbon conservation is displayed at Tini Kasmawati's house in Lengkong Village, Sukabumi Regency, West Java.
One of the Javan gibbons with its offspring swinging in the trees in Lengkong Village, Sukabumi Regency, West Java.
Editor: Puspa Perwitasari
The caption is automatically translated by application. Click here for the Bahasa Indonesia version.
