3 more orang-utans reported dead

3 more orang-utans reported dead

Three more orang-utans smuggled from Indonesia to a Bangkok zoo were reported yesterday to have died.

The animals, part of a group of about 50 due to be sent back to Borneo shortly, have been held at a research centre in Ratchaburi. Staff at the centre, controlled by the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, have been unable to say what caused the latest deaths.

Edwin Wiek, a representative of the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF), said the deaths, if confirmed, meant some 24 apes had died here in recent years. Thailand is waiting for financial support from Indonesia and wildlife groups to examine the primates and send them back to where they belong after being smuggled a few years ago to a tourist zoo in northern Bangkok.

The primates have become the source of anti-Thai protests in Jakarta and Europe because the government has taken so long to return them since they were seized from Safari World.

Dr Chawal Thanhikorn, deputy director-general of the department, said a team of Indonesian veterinarians is due to arrive this weekend and will conduct a joint medical examination of the orang-utans with Thai counterparts on Monday.

Wiek said his group was paying to repatriate the animals, plus the cost of their check-ups.

The Nation