Police have rescued two ‘severely distressed’ baby orangutans who were about to be smuggled out of West Borneo by an unscrupulous gang of traffickers.
The two primates, a male and a female, were being held in tiny cages ahead of their export when a rapid response unit from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF) raided the property in Pontianak.
The male is approximately a year old while the female is around eight months. The pair have been taken to the International Animal Rescue (IAR) Orangutan Conservation Centre in Ketapang.
Police in West Borneo seized two baby orangutans who were set to be exported from the country by a poacher who was trying to sell them for £175 each
Wildlife experts said the two orangutans, pictured in these cages were in a distressed state
The International Animal Rescue said it is likely the poacher shot their mothers
A spokesperson for the charity said: ‘The general condition of the two orangutans is fair, although both are dehydrated and suffering from severe distress. One of them is rocking back and forth – this is an abnormal behaviour presented by animals in extremely stressful conditions.’
Police arrested one man for trafficking wildlife.
According to David Muhammad, Head of the Law Enforcement Agency of the MoEF, the orangutans were captured by a hunter in Sintang and collected by the arrested man who was selling them for about about £175.
He added: ‘Our team is continuing its investigation as we believe the man now under arrest belongs to an international trafficking syndicate.’
Muhammad explained that the operation began after they received a report from the local community about a house where endangered species were being stored. ‘After an early morning investigation, we carried out the raid when we knew the perpetrator was in the house.’
He added that, in addition to selling orangutans, the perpetrator also claimed to have sold other endangered species such as eagles and gibbons. The animals are mostly sold abroad.
Social media platforms are being used increasingly by wildlife traffickers, who often sell or order wildlife on Facebook or Instagram. ‘If we want to stop the trade in wildlife we must target cyber crime,’ said Tantyo Bangun, Chairman of IAR Indonesia. ‘We must work together with all online social networks which are currently failing to tackle this illegal activity.’
Before being captured and sold, baby orangutans are torn from their mothers who are often shot dead while trying to protect their infants.
Due to the success in intercepting poachers, there are currently 111 orangutans at the IAR centre in Ketapang while the number or wild orangutans has dropped 60 per cent in 50 years
Police arrested one man for trafficking wildlife following the raid on his warehouse
The number of orangutans in Borneo have declined by around 60 per cent in 50 years
Orangutans in Borneo have experienced rapid declines of up to 60 per cent in the last 50 years according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN.) This steep decline caused the IUCN to reclassify the population as Critically Endangered.
Karmele Llano Sanchez, Programme Director of IAR Indonesia, said: ‘The illegal trade in orangutans is still one of the major threats to the species’ survival.’
The two new arrivals bring the total number of orangutans in IAR’s centre in Ketapang to 111. ‘Having such a large number of orangutans undergoing rehabilitation, with more having to be rescued, makes it harder and harder to find safe places where we can release them.
‘If we do not address the root cause of the problem, we will never halt the decline of orangutans in the wild.
‘Therefore we admire and applaud the work of the Law Enforcement Agency of the MoEF in West Borneo and hope fervently that the illegal trade in wildlife will be stopped altogether before it’s too late.’
The IAR have 111 orangutans in their welfare centre in Ketapang
The charity said they are finding it difficult to find places in the wild to release the animals
Poachers often shoot dead female orangutans to steal the babies