Some 910 orangutans killed in Indonesia every year

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Some 910 orangutans killed in Indonesia every year

Source: XINHUA

08-06-2002

 

JAKARTA, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Some 910 orangutans are estimated to be killed

every year in Indonesia, the national news agency Antara reported from

Samarinda, capital of East Kalimantan, Tuesday. The estimate was based on an

assumption that in catching one orangutan at least threeare often killed by

illegal hunters, spokeswoman for the Semboja Orangutan Reintroduction and

Rehabilitation Center Jean Mandala said. Meanwhile, the number of the giant

primates successfully saved reaches 182, most of which are being researched

at the Semboja rehabilitation center.

 

It was also reported that the estimate took into account the average age of

orangutan up to 45 years old, while their interval of birth is some eight

years. Therefore, one female orangutan could give birth to three babies in

her lift time. " It means that catching a female orangutan will actually give

no opportunity to that primate to give birth, " the spokeswoman said. Aside

from that calculation, it was also estimated that in catching a small

orangutan, the hunters often kill its mother. Another survey also indicated

that only one out of five orangutans will be able to survive. Based on these

estimates, it could be concluded that in order to catch one orangutan, at

least three to five will be the victims of animal- slaughter, the

spokeswoman asserted.