November 22nd, 2006, 20:09
48 CONFISCATED ORANGUTANS HEAD FOR HOME
Seven of the apes carrying Hepatitis B virus
Bangkok Post : Story by APINYA WIPATAYOTIN
An orangutan is scanned for its identification number in a microchip implant before it and 47 other smuggled apes are returned to Indonesia today. The orangutans, kept at the Khao Pratap Chang wildlife rescue centre in Ratchaburi province, were seized from Safari World Zoo in Bangkok. тАФ TAWATCHAI KEMGUMNERD
Orangutan keepers at Khao Pratap Chang wildlife breeding centre yesterday bid farewell to the 48 apes which they have nurtured for a year, with mixed feelings. They were glad that the creatures, which were seized from the Safari World Zoo in Bangkok's Min Buri district two years ago, will eventually be reintroduced to their original habitat in the Indonesian wild. But at the same time, they were sad that they would not see their ''kids'' again. ''Good luck and be careful of forest fires,'' Sumniang Nuprom, a leader of the orangutan keepers' team, told the apes before they were transported to the air force base in Bangkok. ''They might miss the fresh fruits, rice, milk, and yoghurt we had been feeding them for breakfast. However, I hope they will enjoy living there,'' he said.
Every day over the past year, Mr Sumniang would meet and play with the orangutans after breakfast and dinner. Jun and Kai Noi, the two young apes, were his favourites because they were clever and polite, said Mr Sumniang. Pepsi, a female ape, was also popular among keepers because she could quickly follow their orders and is a good dancer. The apes were also taken for walking exercises outside the cage. The apes are tame because they were trained to entertain visitors at the Safari World Zoo. They can wave, send kisses, and pretend to die when people act as if they are going to shoot them.
''From now on, I won't get the chance to feed them, play with them or take them for a walk. I'll be missing something in my life,'' said Mr Sumniang, who had no experience in raising orangutans before the 48 apes arrived at the centre a year ago. ''However, I'm happy that the animals will be returned to the wild where they came from. ''They should not live with human beings,'' he said, adding that his new assignment was to take care of tigers at the wildlife breeding centre. The transportation of the orangutans from Ratchaburi to Bangkok started yesterday afternoon. Each of them was checked for ID chips before being put into cages.
From the Air Force Base, the orangutans will board a C-130 aircraft to Kalimantan this morning. The flight takes about eight hours. The wildlife breeding centre's director, Pornchai Pratumratnatan, said the apes' repatriation was a great relief to him as the centre had had to spend a lot of money to keep them in good health. Over one million baht had been spent on food alone to feed the creatures, he said. Indonesian wildlife expert Aldrianto Priadjati, meanwhile, expressed concern over the loss of the apes' wild instincts because they had been staying with humans for far too long. ''They don't know their real enemies in the wild. They don't know how to protect themselves. Teaching them about survival in the jungle is the toughest job for us,'' said Mr Priadjati. Indonesia dispatched eight veterinarians to check the health of the apes and accompany them on the plane.
The check-ups found that seven of the apes had the Hepatitis B virus. They are being kept in an isolated cage to prevent the virus spreading to their fellow orangutans.
Edwin Wiek, director of the Wildlife Friends of Thailand Foundation, which is facilitating the repatriation programme, dismissed Thai wildlife officials' remarks that the apes were likely to be stressed during transportation due to insufficient and small cages. ''We have 43 cages, which is more than enough to harbour the apes. The young orangutans were put in the same cage because they will take care of each other,'' he said. The 48 apes will be quarantined for 30 days at the Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in Central Kalimantan, where they will be taught how to live in the wild before being reintroduced into the jungle. Only healthy orangutans which show their ability to live independently in the jungle will be released into the wild.
Seven of the apes carrying Hepatitis B virus
Bangkok Post : Story by APINYA WIPATAYOTIN
An orangutan is scanned for its identification number in a microchip implant before it and 47 other smuggled apes are returned to Indonesia today. The orangutans, kept at the Khao Pratap Chang wildlife rescue centre in Ratchaburi province, were seized from Safari World Zoo in Bangkok. тАФ TAWATCHAI KEMGUMNERD
Orangutan keepers at Khao Pratap Chang wildlife breeding centre yesterday bid farewell to the 48 apes which they have nurtured for a year, with mixed feelings. They were glad that the creatures, which were seized from the Safari World Zoo in Bangkok's Min Buri district two years ago, will eventually be reintroduced to their original habitat in the Indonesian wild. But at the same time, they were sad that they would not see their ''kids'' again. ''Good luck and be careful of forest fires,'' Sumniang Nuprom, a leader of the orangutan keepers' team, told the apes before they were transported to the air force base in Bangkok. ''They might miss the fresh fruits, rice, milk, and yoghurt we had been feeding them for breakfast. However, I hope they will enjoy living there,'' he said.
Every day over the past year, Mr Sumniang would meet and play with the orangutans after breakfast and dinner. Jun and Kai Noi, the two young apes, were his favourites because they were clever and polite, said Mr Sumniang. Pepsi, a female ape, was also popular among keepers because she could quickly follow their orders and is a good dancer. The apes were also taken for walking exercises outside the cage. The apes are tame because they were trained to entertain visitors at the Safari World Zoo. They can wave, send kisses, and pretend to die when people act as if they are going to shoot them.
''From now on, I won't get the chance to feed them, play with them or take them for a walk. I'll be missing something in my life,'' said Mr Sumniang, who had no experience in raising orangutans before the 48 apes arrived at the centre a year ago. ''However, I'm happy that the animals will be returned to the wild where they came from. ''They should not live with human beings,'' he said, adding that his new assignment was to take care of tigers at the wildlife breeding centre. The transportation of the orangutans from Ratchaburi to Bangkok started yesterday afternoon. Each of them was checked for ID chips before being put into cages.
From the Air Force Base, the orangutans will board a C-130 aircraft to Kalimantan this morning. The flight takes about eight hours. The wildlife breeding centre's director, Pornchai Pratumratnatan, said the apes' repatriation was a great relief to him as the centre had had to spend a lot of money to keep them in good health. Over one million baht had been spent on food alone to feed the creatures, he said. Indonesian wildlife expert Aldrianto Priadjati, meanwhile, expressed concern over the loss of the apes' wild instincts because they had been staying with humans for far too long. ''They don't know their real enemies in the wild. They don't know how to protect themselves. Teaching them about survival in the jungle is the toughest job for us,'' said Mr Priadjati. Indonesia dispatched eight veterinarians to check the health of the apes and accompany them on the plane.
The check-ups found that seven of the apes had the Hepatitis B virus. They are being kept in an isolated cage to prevent the virus spreading to their fellow orangutans.
Edwin Wiek, director of the Wildlife Friends of Thailand Foundation, which is facilitating the repatriation programme, dismissed Thai wildlife officials' remarks that the apes were likely to be stressed during transportation due to insufficient and small cages. ''We have 43 cages, which is more than enough to harbour the apes. The young orangutans were put in the same cage because they will take care of each other,'' he said. The 48 apes will be quarantined for 30 days at the Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in Central Kalimantan, where they will be taught how to live in the wild before being reintroduced into the jungle. Only healthy orangutans which show their ability to live independently in the jungle will be released into the wild.