46 Orangutans disappear from Safariworld, Thailand

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46 Orangutans Disappear from

Safariworld

 

Bangkok Friday 30th July 2004

- Forestry Police officials once again raided

Safariworld Zoo in Bangkok to officially

confiscate the 115 orang utans that

were found previously during the first raid on November 22nd 2003. The

orang utans are believed to be illegally obtained, a crime under

the Wildlife

Preservation Act of Thailand and a violation of

the Convention of

International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild

Fauna and Flora (CITES) of

which Thailand is one of the

signatories. Forestry Police Commander

Major-General Swake Pinsinchai also ordered

Safariworld to stop the daily

shows involving the orang utans from taking place. The Forestry

Police

Department is part of the National Police Bureau

and is not the Royal

Forestry Department.

 

During the official inspection of the premises by

officials and

representatives of several NGO's it was discovered that only 69 out of the

original 115 orang utans were still remaining at Safariworld. No

explanation

was offered by the management concerning the whereabouts of the

missing 46

orang utans.

 

Representatives of the Indonesian Ministry of

Forestry, the Borneo Orangutan

Survival Foundation, the Wildlife Friends Thailand, Profauna Indonesia, Thai

Animal Guardians Association and Monkeyworld UK, were present during

the

official raid and count of the orangutans. All have expressed grave

concern

for the well-being of all the missing orang utans and the ones

still at

Safariworld who, although confiscated, have to

remain in their present

unsatisfactory enclosures as the Royal Forestry Department do not have the

facilities to care for them.

 

The disappearance of the 46 orang utans will no

doubt cause an international

outcry amongst conservationists and animal welfare organizations

worldwide.

 

 

 

ENDS