"Give space to other creatures to exist because our Earth is not only for human beings to live, but also for other creatures, such as orangutans. Orangutan is not a dangerous animal, so when you see orangutans entering a plantation, please contact usMedan, North Sumatra (ANTARA) - The Lestari Sumatran Orangutan Foundation-Orangutan Information Center (YOSL-OIC) has seized and rescued at least 10 orangutans in the provinces of North Sumatra and Aceh during the January-March 2019 period.
The orangutans had been seized from individuals, who had reared the protected animals as pets and from palm oil plantations where the orangutans were trapped or lost sometimes, Panut Hadisiswoyo, the YOSL-OIC chairman, stated here on Saturday.
The orangutans were first evacuated from where they were found and later sent to a YOSL-OIC quarantine facility in Sibolangit, North Sumatra, for medical checkup.
"Before being released into the wilderness, orangutans must undergo a health checkup at the quarantine center," he noted.
He urged to put an end to the conversion of forests into plantations, as it could result in orangutans losing their habitats.
"Give space to other creatures to exist because our Earth is not only for human beings to live but also for other creatures, such as orangutans. Orangutan is not a dangerous animal, so when you see orangutans entering a plantation, please contact us so we could evacuate them safely," he remarked.
On Thursday, March 21, 2019, the Aceh Natural Resources Conservation Office (BKSDA) had managed to rescue and save a seven-year-old orangutan that had got lost in a palm oil plantation in Rikit Hamlet, Namo Buaya, Sultan Daulat Sub-district, Subulussalam, Aceh Province.
The female orangutan called Pertiwi was quite weak and malnourished. She weighed merely five kilograms and was unable to move her right hand.
Based on results of the health checkup, Pertiwi was unfit for release into the wild, so she is receiving medical care at the quarantine center.
EDITED BY INE
Translator: Juraidi, Fardah
Editor: Eliswan Azly
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
