Orangutans Re-Learn Monkey Business: Sumatra

How people could keep any animal for their pleasure is beyond me. Of course domestic dogs and cats are another case.

Seriously, animals deserve to be in their natural environment and any person trapping them and imprisoning them should truly be punished severely.

In Indonesia it appears that orangutans are a source of pleasure to some sick people. Fortunately there are conservation groups that strive to return these endangered animals back into the wild:

Kevin is a one-year-old orphan who’s taking a walk on the wild side.

The Indonesian orangutan is one of 17 primates who were illegally captured and sold as pets but who are now learning to adjust to living in their natural habitat, thanks to the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme in the North Sumatra province.

“Most of the orangutans in this quarantine are seized from houses. Kevin is the youngest,” said programme manager Asril, referring to the recently captured primates.

“We also have a Borneo orangutan. We got him during a raid in Belawan. We estimate his age is 16,” he added.

Most rescued animals need regular exercise to strengthen their muscles so they can again swing in the trees of the vast Sumatran forest.

Authorities say the orangutans will spend between six to 12 months in the quarantine center before being released into the Bukit Tiga Puluh National Park in Jambi province.

Many of the country’s orangutans have been illegally taken to countries all over Asia and Europe and Indonesia is making continuous efforts to have them returned home.

The primate’s population in Indonesia has been decreasing rapidly as their habitat in Borneo and Sumatra has been disrupted by illegal logging, forest fires, poaching of orangutan babies and the illegal pet trade.

In 2002, it was estimated there were around 60,000 orangutans left in the jungles of Borneo and Sumatra islands. Some ecologists say the number has now been halved and others say the species could become extinct in 20 years.

Source: REUTERS