Orangutans could become extinct in 40 Years
by M. Yasis

Orangutan

Network Monitoring wildlife trade (Traffic) and Wold Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) provides a new prediction that the orangutan in Indonesia could be extinct within 40 years, following the high level of illegal trade in orangutans and gibbons in Indonesia.

In the book these two institutions report entitled “In Full Swing: An Assessment of Trade in Orang utans and Gibbons on Java, Bali, Indonesia” which was launched in Jakarta, Friday (17 / 6), mentioned the two animal trade, particularly in Kalimantan and Sumatra, reached 1,000 fish per year, or one to three animals per day.

Traffic investigators, Vincent Nijman mention also to the island of Java and Bali, an orangutan, and gibbons are still traded and kept as pets for most people, even animals that are legally protected since 1931. “Trafficking in wildlife is a phenomenon of the” iceberg “, we find a number that dipuncak iceberg, but who knows how many are there at the bottom of the iceberg,” said Vincent Nijman, who was accompanied by Director of WWF-Indonesia Executif Mubariq Dr. Ahmad.

Based on reports Traffic Southeast Asia contained in the book, in the period 1994-2003 based on information from animals in 35 markets in 22 cities in Java and Bali, was found 559 orangutans and gibbons are many of them illegally traded in bird markets. Besides hunted and traded to meet the demand for pets, orangutans and gibbons are also trafficked for the entertainment industry.

In November 2003, Thai authorities seized at least 115 orangutans from Safari World Bangkok arena, which held an orangutan boxing show, some great ape species were reported from Indonesia. ProFauna Government of Indonesia and Indonesia (one of the NGOs concerned about wildlife) in various occasions has urged the Thai government to return the orangutans to Indonesia, but the case is still in the process. Species Program Director of WWF-Indonesia, said Nazir Foead Traffic reports that the orangutan population in Borneo is now only 40 thousand species ranges should be taken seriously.

“People are creatures of utan breeding slow degrees. They reproduce eight years and only one child. So can imagine if every day one to three animals captured the endangered orangutans in a short time, not to mention the problem of extinction due to habitat destruction,” he said . Biodiversity Conservation Director at the Directorate General PHKA Adi Susmianto said Indonesia was committed to tightening controls at the entrance and main exit to ensure that protected species are not smuggled from or to Indonesia. “But more important is to protect the habitat of orangutans and gibbons to stop the hunt rare animals.