(MY) orangutan traffickers

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Dept urged to book orangutan traffickers

Andrew Ong

Oct 12, 2005 3:52pm

 

The Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) should take stern

action against guilty parties pertaining to the case of seven Sumatran

orangutans found without legal documents, said wildlife trade watchdog

Traffic.

 

Traffic coordinator Julia Ng urged the authorities to be serious and punish

the offenders, as the Sumatran orangutans are an endangered species and

protected under international law.

 

" If they let the people who are responsible for the crime go, just like the

*Taiping-four <http://malaysiakini.com/news/18531>* (gorillas), then

obviously, more zoos or entertainment parks will continue to obtain these

great apes, " said Ng.

 

Ng was commenting on Perhilitan's announcement last Friday that the

department had found seven Sumatran orangutans in Peninsular Malaysia

without legal documentation following DNA profiling.

 

Since July, Perhilitan have been conducting *DNA

profiling<http://malaysiakini.com/news/37502>

* test on 58 orangutans throughout the peninsula, in response to allegations

that Sumatran orangutans were being used for

*performances<http://malaysiakini.com/news/36522>

*.

 

Perhilitan have since confiscated the seven apes from two separate locations

and placed them in the Melaka Zoo, pending arrangements to return them to

Indonesia.

 

Commercial trade in orangutans violates the Convention of International

Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), which took

effect in 1975.

 

*Sub-species*

 

In addition, Ng said that Perhilitan needs to determine if any of the 46

orangutans found during the DNA profiling to be of the Bornean species,

originated from Kalimantan.

 

" There are three sub-species of the Bornean orangutans. One of which can

only be found in central Kalimantan. Trafficking such animals would again be

a violation of Cites, " she said.

 

Most orangutans can be found in Kalimantan, the Indonesian side of Borneo.

 

" As the Cites management authority in this country, Perhilitan is also duty

bound to ensure that orangutans acquired from Sabah and Sarawak must prove

to have been acquired legally, " she added.

 

In May, Perhilitan announced that they would conduct the DNA test following

public outcry over *orangutan shows <http://malaysiakini.com/news/36008>* at

the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park.

 

The apes were touted as endangered species " found only in Sumatra " . The

shows have since been *cancelled*.

 

Sources indicate that these orangutans were owned by A'famosa Resort in

Melaka, which according to their website, runs regular shows featuring

orangutans playing golf, weightlifting, cycling and mimicking a rock band.

 

It is uncertain if the seven orangutans were confiscated from A'famosa

Resort or the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park.

 

Repeated attempts to contact A'famosa Animal World Safari general manager

Robert Na for confirmation were futile.

 

Repeated attempts to contact Perhilitan enforcement director Misliah Mohd

Basir for details and comments regarding statements from Traffic were also

futile.