BATANG TO HAVE DOLPHIN BREEDING CENTER

Batang, June 23 (ANTARA) - The Batang district administration in Central Java will soon cooperate with Cisarua Safari Park to build a dolphin breeding center and a swimming pool in the Sigandu tourist resort, a local tourism official said.

The chief of the Batang District Tourism Office, Bambang Ibnu Riyanto, said here on Monday the dolphin breeding center would be completed in the next four months.

"We are optimistic that following the completion of the breeding center, the number of tourists visiting Sigandu resort will increase significantly," Bambang said.

He said the center would be built on a 0.5-hectare plot of land which had already been bought by the investor.

The dolphins, according to him, would be taken from Batang waters.

"Based on a preliminary survey, dolphins in Batang waters are smart and therefore the investor will take the sea mammals from local waters," Bambang said.

He added that besides Sigandu resort, Batang district also had Ujungnegoro resort which is located near where the dolphin breeding center will be set up.

"We hope that after the dolphin breeding center has been completed, Batang district's two tourist resorts will attract more visitors," Bambang said.