Guest guest Posted December 7, 2005 Report Share Posted December 7, 2005 Tuesday December 6, 2005 http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2005/12/6/lifefocus/12687749 & sec\ =lifefocus Plug loopholes Sahabat Alam Malaysia is infuriated to learn that two Malaysian animal parks with seven smuggled Sumatran orang utans from Indonesia may get off scot-free for illegal possession of the endangered species. Loopholes cited in the Wildlife Protection Act 1970 by the Wildlife Department as a possibility that the owners may escape the arm of the law is not convincing enough. Contrary to what the Wildlife Department claims, the world's number one primate taxonomist, Dr Colin Groves, from the Australian University in Canberra says that the Sumatran orang utan is today widely classified as a distinct species, *Pongo abelii*, that is to say it is no longer to be called *Pongo pygmaeus abelii*, and it is certainly not a " subspecies of the Bornean species. " Whereas the Bornean orang utan is classified as Endangered, the Sumatran orang utan is classified as Critically Endangered. The Department of Wildlife and National Parks should not hesitate to prosecute those found in possession of the orang utans. SAM is concerned over the remaining 46 captive orang utans of the Bornean species, as of to-date there is serious doubt as to whether they had been legally procured. The Wildlife Protection Act must be amended to remove any loopholes. The practice of having wild animals in resorts and wildlife parks as an added attraction, should be stopped. No wild animal should be used in performances that are not only degrading but unnatural to their behaviour. *S.M. Mohd Idris, President, Sahabat Alam Malaysia* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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