Jakarta Governor Pramono to dedicate an island for stray cats

Pendi, 72, feeds stray cats outside the National Monument (Monas) complex in Central Jakarta, on Sept. 2. 2020 Every week, Pendi receives Rp 70,000 (US$4.74) from a donor to buy cat food and feed around 150 stray cats in the area. - Photo: The Jakarta Post/ANN

JAKARTA: Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung has expressed his intention to establish a “cat island” in Thousands Islands regency in an attempt to address the city’s growing stray cat population, while also boosting tourism, drawing inspiration from similar islands in Japan that have attracted both local and international visitors.

“The idea about the cat island is not new. Japan has already established ones and they have become extraordinary tourist destinations,” Pramono said at City Hall on Thursday (March 13), claiming that the cat lover community in Indonesia, particularly the capital city, is quite big.