Orangutan to go home soon

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Orangutan to go home soon

Animals may return to Indonesia next week

 

Bangkok Post

Piyaporn Wongruang

April 23, 2006

 

More than 50 orangutan seized from a private zoo in

Bangkok two years ago will be sent back to Indonesia,

probably as soon as next week, senior wildlife

officials said yesterday. Schwann Tunhikorn, deputy

director-general of the National Parks, Wildlife and

Plants Department, said the animals will leave sooner

than earlier expected.

 

According to Mr Schwann, DNA tests will be carried out

on the animals, believed to have been smuggled from

Sumatra and Borneo, but they will not have to wait for

results. The process will be complete in a week.

 

Mr Schwann said the quick return means Thailand would

not have to shoulder further the cost of animal care.

 

Indonesian and Thai wildlife officials and experts met

on Friday to discuss the return of the animals, which

were rescued when police raided Safari World in

Bangkok in 2004. They are being cared for by the

state-run Khao Pratub Chang Wildlife Breeding Centre

in Ratchaburi.

 

Four out of 57 rescued animals died and another five

have been ''borrowed'' by the Chiang Mai Night Safari.

 

Adi Susmianto, director of Bio-diversity Conservation

of Indonesia's Forestry Department, said the animals

would first be sent to a rehabilitation centre in

Kalimantan and eventually be released into the wild.

He urged closer cooperation between Thailand and

Indonesia on the crackdown on wildlife smuggling.

 

Mr Schwann said a newly-formed Asean Wildlife

Enforcement Network will meet next month in Bangkok to

step up cooperation on wildlife conservation in the

region

 

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/23Apr2006_news05.php

 

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