Malaysia to return seven rescued orangutans to Indonesia

AP, Dec 16, 2005: Malaysia to return seven rescued orangutans to Indonesia:

Report KUALA LUMPUR (AP): Seven orangutans snatched from the Indonesian jungle and forced to work in Malaysia as show animals have been rescued and are returning home, a news report said Friday. The Star newspaper said the orangutans were expected to return on Saturday, with the help of the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Program, an Indonesia-based organization run in partnership with the Zoological Society of Frankfurt. The apes' return marks a great stride toward regional cooperation to combat illegal wildlife trafficking, Ian Singleton, scientific director of SOCP, told The Star. "The fact that Malaysia acknowledged the illegality of the collection and made the decision to return the apes is sending out a strong message that such acts will not be tolerated," Singleton was quoted as saying. Malaysian officials or representatives of SOCP could not immediately be reached for comment. The seven apes - member of a highly endangered species - will be flown to Jakarta in a Malaysia Airlines flight and transferred to a Garuda Airlines flight to Medan the same day, the report said. In Medan, the animals would undergo a three-month rehabilitation program, the report said. Afterward, they would be reintroduced to the wild at the Bukit Tigapuluh National Park in central Sumatra, where they will join 53 orangutans that were rescued from illegal trade in Indonesia and released there since 2003, the report said. The seven orangutans were among 58 rescued across Malaysia by wildlife officials, the report said. DNA tests showed the seven came from Indonesia, the report said. Six of the apes were used as show animals by a theme park for at least four years and the other held by the Johor Zoo for an unknown period, the report said. The Star quoted Singleton as saying that Indonesia is still negotiating with Thailand over more than 100 orangutans, mostly juveniles, held in several theme parks for the last two years. Orangutans living in the wild are found exclusively on Borneo, which is shared by Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia, and on Sumatra. Activists estimate there are fewer than 30,000 orangutans remaining worldwide, including those kept in zoos. According to wildlife experts hunters kill or capture between 200 and 500 orangutans each year in jungles on the Indonesian side of Borneo island.