Illegal Orangutans Left in Terrible Conditions While 45 Disappear Completely

[Guest guest]

*****PRESS RELEASE*****

 

Illegal Orangutans Left in Terrible Conditions While

45 Disappear Completely

 

The Indonesian Government today demanded the return of

at least 70 smuggled baby orangutans that are

currently kept at Safari World in Bangkok, Thailand.

This request is timely as the Thai government will be

hosting the CITES (Convention on the International

Trade in Endangered Species) meeting in October 2004.

As a signatory of the convention in 1983, Thailand is

obligated to return the illegal orangutans to their

country of origin – Indonesia. Sadly, all of the

requests made by the Indonesian authorities to date

have not been answered. Last week an Indonesian

delegation travelled to Bangkok for discussions with

Thai authorities and to count and view the conditions

of the illegal orangutans kept at Safari World. Thai

authorities refused to give guarantees that the

smuggled apes will be returned to Indonesia. During

the inspection of Safari World, both Thai and

Indonesian government authorities were shocked to find

that 45 young orangutans had disappeared from Safari

World since Thai raids on the park in September 2003.

No explanation for the disappearance of these

endangered apes was provided and the conditions of

those kept at the park were disgusting. “The cages

that some of the orangutans are kept in at Safari

World are so small that they cannot even stand up and

many needed urgent medical care,” said Dr Willie Smits

of the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation.

 

Repatriation of all the orangutans is possible through

the conservation work of the Borneo Orangutan Survival

Foundation (BOS, Indonesia), Monkey World – Ape Rescue

Centre (Great Britain) and the Pingtung Rescue Centre

for Endangered Wild Animals (Taiwan). The illegal

trade in orangutans into Thailand was first documented

by Monkey World and Pingtung Rescue Centre following a

three year investigation and now Monkey World has

offered to pay for the return of the orangutans to

their Indonesian home as soon as Thai authorities

release them. The British and Taiwanese team

documented large numbers of orangutans at several zoos

and safari parks around Thailand, the worst offender

being Safari World, outside of Bangkok. Fourteen years

ago Safari World did not have any captive orangutans

yet now they are trying to claim ownership of the

illegal animals. While government raids followed, no

arrests have been made and no orangutans have been

returned to Indonesia.

 

Dr Willie Smits of BOS, and the world’s leading

orangutan expert, was allowed to view and count the

orangutans at Safari World a few months ago. “Almost

all the orangutans at Safari World were from Central

Kalimantan and could not have possibly come from

captive breeding of adult animals as the park would

claim. They should all be returned to Indonesia

immediately.” Monkey World has offered to pay for the

repatriation of the orangutans to their natural

habitat in the forests of Kalimantan. Jim Cronin, of Monkey World said, “There is no reason for

delays, the orangutans should, by law, be returned to

their native home regardless of court cases,

prosecutions or bureaucracy – we will pay for their

return immediately.”

 

The orangutans discovered at Safari World represent a

significant percentage of the wild population left in

the world today. Dr Willie Smits and BOS have

undertaken to rehabilitate the stolen apes at various

centres in Indonesia. It is hoped that the majority

can be returned to the wild, but this is a costly

undertaking, the process taking several years and much

care. BOS is committed to this rescue and

rehabilitation project and is sure that people from

around the world will support this project to save

these refugees. A fund is being launched to help save

the baby orangutans.

 

Photos available upon request. For more information

please contact:

 

Dr Willie Smits Mr. Jim or Dr. Alison Cronin

Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation Monkey World –

Ape Rescue Centre

www.savetheorangutan.info www.monkeyworld.org

Tel. 44 1929 401 005

 

Michelle Desilets

Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation UK

www.savetheorangutan.org.uk

bos_uk

 

 

 

*****ENDS*****

 

 

 

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