Indonesian Children welcome the news of the return of 54 smuggled orangutans from Thailand

54 out of more than 100 orangutans that are still alive are finally being returned to their homelands in Indonesia. The orangutans were exploited to entertain tourists in cruel ape boxing shows at Safari World Bangkok.

[UKPRwire, Tue Apr 25 2006] Following assurances that the Thai government will be returning Indonesia’s stolen orangutans to the forests from which they had been smuggled, ProFauna Indonesia activists and a group of Indonesian children presented flowers as part of a demonstration outside the Royal Thai Embassy in Jakarta. The flowers represent a symbolic gesture of peace and hope for the return of the 54 orangutans to Indonesia.

After more than two years of prolonged investigations, diplomatic negotiations, protests and legal battles, 54 out of more than 100 orangutans that are still alive are finally going to be returned to their homelands in Indonesia. DNA testing proved that the orangutans originated from Kalimantan and that fewer than 12 could have been bred in captivity. The orangutans were exploited to entertain tourists in cruel ape boxing shows at Safari World Bangkok.

Pin Kewkacha, the owner of Safari World, has admitted that over half of the 114 orangutans inventoried in his zoo have “died”. A free man since it was ruled that there was insufficient evidence or witnesses for legal action to be taken against him, he is now involved in developing a Night Safari project in Chiang Mai.

ProFauna Indonesia, a wildlife conservation group has been staging a number of protests in front of the Thai Embassy Jakarta, demanding the return of the orangutans. Orangutans are highly endangered and a protected species. Both Indonesia and Thailand are members of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), an organisation that prohibits the unlicensed movement of endangered species between countries, let alone their illegal smuggling and subsequent callous exploitation for money.

Ongoing discussions between CITES and the authorities from Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and various experts with pressure from NGOs has finally resulted in a decision to repatriate the apes. The Thai Government announced in the press conferences on 18th and 21st April that the orangutans are to be returned to Indonesia within 4 weeks.

Orangutans are native to the island of Sumatra and Kalimantan or Borneo, an island shared by Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. Their population is in dramatic decline due to illegal logging and palm plantation.

There is still an apprehension that their return will be “delayed”, due to Thailand’s failure to repatriate the apes.

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