The zoo was established in 1864 by a Dutch East Indiesflora and fauna lovers organization, the Vereneging Planten en Dierentuin of Batavia. Raden Saleh, a prominent Indonesian painter in the 19th century, donated about of his land for the establishment of Batavia first zoo in the Cikini area of Central Jakarta. The zoo moved to its present location in 1966, and was officially opened on 22 June 1966, managed by the city administration. The former location was turned into the Taman Ismail Marzuki performing art center and Jakarta Art Institute. On 19 September 2005, following the order of the city's governor, the zoo was closed temporarily for about three weeks after various birds were found to have contracted avian influenza. It reopened on October 11. On January 1, 2015 Ragunan Zoo was visited by 186,456 visitors, the highest among the New Year days, the previous highest record was about 175,000 visitors on January 1, 2011. In 2015, Ragunan Zoo will receive Rp.301 billion from the local government for subsity. Previous budget can use for operational costs only, but initial 2015, the budget is also sufficient to improve welfare of the animals. In 2018, Ragunan Zoo is predicted to be the international standard for zoos, with the hiring of experts to improve the welfare of the animals, improving quality of the enclosures, and improving facilities for visitors.
The Schmutzer Primate Centre
The Schmutzer Primate Centre was opened in 2002, within the Ragunan Zoo but privately funded and managed separately. It is one of the largest of such centers in the world. The special enclosure houses various primates, including gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans. The center was named after the late Pauline Antoinette Schmutzer, who donated her estate to the center. Dr Willie Smits of the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation designed the orangutan enclosure so that the orangutans have as natural an environment as possible. Thick dark glass allows visitors to see the orangutans while being invisible to them.
Exhibits
Beginning in February 2014, the zoo will be closed every Monday for maintenance and to provide a quiet day for the animals. If Monday is a holiday, the zoo will be open but will be closed on another day in lieu of the holiday. in Ragunan Zoo The main attractions of the zoo are its animal exhibits. These may be grouped as follows.
The river valley located on the eastern side of the zoo provides natural landscape of wetlands, swamp, and river environment that features crocodiles and gavial The eastern open plain recreates the savanna environment with various kinds of deers such as the rare Bawean deer, muntjac, sambar deer and wild buffalo including anoa
Special attractions for the children include a Children's Zoo, playground and rides, along with the Sunday events of pony cart and boat rides on Ragunan lake.
