Photos by Achmad Raharjo
Recently, the Philippine Arowana and Louhan Society or PALHS visited Indonesia and took in the animal-related attractions there, sharing their story and photos with Animal Scene. The organization regularly organizes such trips in their aim to widen their members’ knowledge in the hobby by exposing them to various farms and techniques, immersing them not only through shows and seminars but also through hands-on participation in the techniques being used by their counterparts across Asia.
The exposure is not limited only to fish; participants also get to learn about other animals such as reptiles, rabbits, and insects. It is hoped that these trips will foster camaraderie and increase hobbyists’ passion for the hobby from across the Philippines.
They visited the famous Jakarta Fish Market, “…a street full of almost any variety of fish you can think of. Too bad we couldn’t take some home!” joked PALHS’ Marge Hermoso.
She went on to relate that everyone’s favorite attraction, in addition to the many fish farms they visited, was Seaworld Ancol, featuring freshwater and saltwater fish. “This is every fish hobbyists’ pure heaven!” Another member’s wife shared that they felt like a bunch of kids lost in a wonderful toy store.
Showcasing the country’s pride in its endemic species was the Fresh Water World and Insect Museum. It houses all the species or breeds found in all of Indonesia, and the subjects of the exhibits ranged from a demonstration of the actual feeding of arapaima to the unique biodiversity of the country.
At the Bogor area, in Cipanas Cigombong—which is around 1.5 hours away from the main city of Jakarta, participants toured the Citra Arowana Farm. What they visited was Museum the smallest of the company’s breeding facilities as most farms are further away from the city. They then visited Qian Hu Farm Indonesia, managed by Wawan Hernawan, managing operations director. The visit was facilitated by Qian Hu Singapore marketing director Ryan Lim and Jimmy Tam, head of operations in Thailand and Indonesia Qian Hu. There, the visitors got to examine the company’s unique filtration system, see how they quarantined their fish, and get them ready for worldwide export.
At the Komodo Museum, there were many fascinating and intimidating specimens of the Komodo Dragon. The group recommends it as a must-see for reptile enthusiasts, as the museum also hosts a wide variety of boas and snakes.
High up in the mountains of the Puncak area, they visited a show quality rabbit farm, featuring high end breeds in competition, such as Holland Lops, English Angoras, the Mini Rex, Dutch fuzzy lop, and the Flemish giant. (With reporting by Marge Hermoso)
This appeared in Animal Scene magazine’s August 2017 issue.
