Child Fall Incident at Ragunan Elephant Enclosure Area, Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) Member Urges Security Evaluation

Ragunan Wildlife Park has returned to public attention after a Viral Video circulated showing a young child falling into the moat separating the elephant enclosure. This incident has sparked widespread public reactions, including calls for a full comprehensive evaluation of visitor security and safety systems.

Scrutiny was raised by Hardiyanto Kenneth, member of the DKI Jakarta Regional House of Representatives. He called on Ragunan Wildlife Park management to use this incident as momentum to strengthen safety standards across the tourist site.

"We demand this evaluation is carried out objectively and thoroughly. The focus is not to find parties to blame, but to identify the root cause of the problem," stated Kenneth in Jakarta, Monday.

According to Kenneth, the incident of a child falling at the elephant enclosure cannot be dismissed as an ordinary accident. With thousands of daily visitors, predominantly families and children, safety must be the primary priority in managing this recreation area.

"I am deeply concerned over this incident. The safety and health condition of the child involved must be the absolute first priority," he added.

He emphasized that every Tourist Destination must have operational standards that place visitor safety as the highest priority.

For this reason, Ragunan management has been instructed to conduct a transparent internal investigation to clearly establish the full timeline of events, root causes of the incident, and identify any gaps that may exist in the security systems currently implemented.

Kenneth stated this evaluation must not be limited only to operational procedures, but must also include a full on-site inspection of all safety infrastructure. Boundary barriers, layered safety fences, visitor walkways, wildlife observation points, and all high-risk areas throughout the park will require full review.

"If any fences are found that do not meet safety standards, security gaps, or locations that allow visitors to dangerously approach wildlife areas, repairs must be carried out immediately without waiting for another incident to occur," said the member of DKI Jakarta DPRD Commission C.

Beyond physical infrastructure, strengthening on-site supervision at the park was also highlighted as critical. Kenneth noted that the number of security and monitoring personnel must be adjusted to match visitor volumes, especially during weekends, National Holidays, and School Holiday periods when tourist numbers increase significantly.

Separately, he also addressed the growing trend of social media content creation that often leads some visitors to disregard safety precautions. This trend requires close attention as it can encourage high-risk behaviour within tourist locations that carry inherent hazards.

"Regardless of the motives behind this incident, visitor safety must always remain the top priority. In this social media era, the public must act far more responsibly when creating or pursuing content," he stated.

Kenneth explained that wildlife Conservation areas have safety rules and protocols that are mandatory for all visitors to comply with.

All safety facilities including boundary barriers, restricted zone markings, and warning signs are established specifically to protect both humans and animals from avoidable risk.

For this reason, he reminded parents of their critical responsibility to supervise their children during visits, particularly when near enclosures for large wildlife that carry significantly higher danger levels.

Prior to these statements, social media had been widely circulating footage showing a child in red clothing stranded inside the elephant enclosure moat. In the recording, several adult bystanders can be seen attempting rescue, crossing the visitor barrier and reaching down to pull the child back to the safe area.