Science · Banteng conservationCobourg Peninsula banteng: Indonesia proposes protecting the world's largest herdWritten November 5, 2026 at 6:07 AM UTCWatchTranscript0:07Coburg Peninsula holds the world's largest population of bantang, a critically0:11endangered wild cattle species.0:13Indonesia's ambassador wants the introduced Australian herd protected as a possible0:18resource for recovery back home, but these animals also damage Australian habitats.0:24Can that herd help Indonesia's wild bantang recover while protecting the landscapes0:29it damages?0:30The herd lives about two hundred kilometers northeast of Darwin on Coburg Peninsula.0:35Garag Gunak Barloo National Park is there, far from the Indonesian populations that0:41might eventually receive some of these animals.0:43About ten thousand bantang are estimated to live on the peninsula, compared with0:48about one thousand remaining in the wild in Indonesia.0:52Those estimates describe an Australian feral population and Indonesia's wild0:57animals.0:58The Indonesian figure covers that country alone.1:01The Australian animals descend from Bantang, brought from Southeast Asia during a1:06failed colonial settlement.1:07In the eighteen forties, their descendants have survived here for almost two1:12centuries.1:13That survival gives Indonesia's ambassador to Australia, Siswo Pramono, a reason to1:19pursue conservation cooperation.1:21Pramono says some animals could return to Indonesia if they're genetically suitable1:26for its national parks.1:28He also says no formal talks have taken place.1:32He wants research cooperation to begin between Indonesian National Parks and the1:37Northern Territory government.1:38He would bring Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade into the1:42conversation afterward.1:44His proposal also runs in the other direction.1:47He suggests bringing more bantang into the Northern Territory to improve the1:51Australian herd's genetic variety.1:53Both ideas would need assessment.1:55Bantang numbers globally are estimated to have fallen by more than eighty percent2:00over two decades, driven by poaching and habitat loss.2:04That decline underpinned the species move.2:07From endangered to critically endangered, on October28,2024,2:13a Northern Territory government information page still describes Bantang as2:17vulnerable, conflicting with that later conservation assessment.2:21The global decline describes the species wider crisis.2:24Australia's large introduced herd has followed a different path, making its possible2:30conservation value worth investigating.2:32Researchers identified pure-strained Bantang genetics in more than fifty animals2:37sampled in Garag Gunak Barlou in two thousand and six.2:41Those genetics weren't typically seen in Southeast Asia.2:44A separate two thousand and seven study addressed low genetic diversity in the2:48Australian population after its narrow founding bottleneck.2:52The two thousand and six researchers examined mitochondrial DNA, the Y chromosome,2:57and a nuclear gene linked to the protein lactoferrin.3:00Their finding identified the animal's ancestry.3:03Choosing animals for a return would require fresh checks of their health and3:07compatibility.3:08With a receiving herd, bantang grazing changes vegetation, and their trampling3:12damages sand dune ecosystems and wetlands.3:16Those are local costs that protection would have to address.3:19Garigunak Barloo is jointly managed, so international interest in the herd also3:25meets existing responsibilities for the park.3:27Promono leakens Australia to Noah's Ark because animals threatened in their original3:32homes can survive here.3:34He sees that survival as an opportunity to help preserve the species.3:38Conservation expert Daniel Ramp places habitat protection alongside that3:43international responsibility.3:45Ramp says impacts on native threatened species should be reduced wherever they3:50occur.3:51He also argues that Australia should consider the global conservation status of3:56introduced animals.3:57His challenge is how to meet both responsibilities when they pull management in4:01different directions.4:02Indonesia's wild bantang still face poaching and habitat loss.4:07Livestock competition adds pressure, while isolated populations risk losing genetic4:13variety through chance changes over generations.4:16Returning animals would have to fit a wider recovery effort that tackles those4:20threats.4:21A large herd overseas can offer potential breeding animals, but recovery also4:26requires suitable receiving habitat and protection.4:30Researchers would need to assess how many animals a receiving site could support,4:35and whether mixing populations would help their long-term survival.4:39Promono's immediate request is to start the conversation.4:44Turning it into a workable plan would require genetic, animal health, and receiving4:49site assessments.4:50Alongside the necessary permissions, the Northern Territory government's response to4:55his proposal hasn't been announced.4:57The Australian herd offers a potentially valuable resource for Indonesian recovery.5:03Using it successfully will mean protecting native Australian habitats, while5:08choosing animals suited to a receiving herd.5:10Those animals would also need a protected home where enough habitat remains to5:15sustain them.Read the articleStory timelineHeyDex
