16 June 2012
Press Release – For immediate distribution
Confiscation of infant orangutan from wildlife traders in Aceh Province, Sumatra.
[Babahrot, Aceh Barat Daya, Aceh Province, Indonesia] Today, 16th of July, a team involving staff from the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Program, Local Police, and relevant Government authorities confiscated an infant male Orangutan from traders who had been attempting to sell it to an undercover wildlife trafficking investigation team earlier in the week.
“Tripa is home to the highest population density of Orangutans found anywhere on earth” Said Dr Ian Singleton, Conservation Director of the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Program. Todays rescue was a great success and a fantastic collaboration from the police and various agencies involved. This little Orangutan is one of the lucky ones, and for the team, one of two during the past 48 hours in from Tripa.”
“In 1990 we estimate there was almost 2000 Orangutans in the Tripa Peat forest, and now today it could be less than 200 due to the ongoing and often illegal clearance of forest through the conversion to palm oil plantations. Satellite imagery obtained shows over 1500 hectares of conversion in the last 6 months in Tripa alone, and our ground team has reported ongoing fires and illegal activity of operations in palm oil concessions despite a central government investigation into their behavior.”
“Saturdays confiscation was the second orangutan rescued in as many days from Tripa, with a sub-adult male about 15 years old named Harry, now safely relocated to Jantho on the 15/06 due his forest home being encroached by a rising sea of palm oil, and field reports of fires still being used to clear forest inside the protected Leuser Ecosystem.
“This young orangutan is very thin, but otherwise active and has a good appetite. We are confident he will be fit and well in no time and he can now look forward to a long life in the wild after he is eventually released, instead if a very short life had stayed with his previous owner” concluded Dr. Ian Singleton.
“Orangutan is protected endangered wildlife and should not be captured, kept as pets or traded. This confiscation has helped to raise awareness of the community that they should not injure, capture, trade or keep Orangutan or other protected wildlife as pets.” Said Nurdin from BKSDA.
“We are vey happy with the success and outcome from todays activity”. Said Eko Budi, Head of Abdya District Police “the wildlife and its habitat is interwoven, and the community should not destroy it because on the legal aspect its violating the law plus if community damaged the environment, the community itself who will have to deal with the impact of the environmental damage.”
“The rescues of these two Orangutans has been a great collaboration from Community, Police, NGO and Government Departments” Added Farwiza from BPKEL “We are happy to see the effective and successful action of all involved. To provide best conditions for Wildlife, Community and Environment it is important the National Spatial Planning Law 26/2007 is actually followed, and Tripa is restored as it forms an important part of the protected Leuser Ecosystem. Read more: endoftheicons.wordpress.com
