Thailand sends three rescued orangutans back to Indonesia

Bangkok, Dec 21 (EFE).- Three Sumatran orangutans rescued from wildlife trafficking in Thailand were traveling back to Indonesia on Thursday in an effort by both nations to combat the illegal trade in protected species.

A male orangutan named Brian sits inside a cage during the repatriation ceremony of confiscated smuggled orangutans from Thailand to Indonesia, at the cargo area of Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Samut Prakan province, Thailand, 21 December 2023. EFE/EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT

The orangutans had been kept in a sanctuary in the central Thai province of Ratchaburi.

The trio, named Nobita, Shizuka (both 7 years old) and Brian (5), were transported on Thursday to Suvarnabhumi airport, in the east of the Thai capital, to be repatriated to their country, where they will be released into a new sanctuary.

The Thai and Indonesian authorities participated in a handover ceremony at the airport where both countries reaffirmed their commitment to protect wildlife from trafficking.

In 2016, members of the Thai Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation went undercover, agreeing online to purchase two orangutans for about $20,000.

During the operation they arrested the members of the criminal gang and seized Nobita and Shizuka, then just a few months old, and in 2019 Brian was also rescued from traffickers.

Since 2006, including Thursday’s three, Thailand has repatriated 74 orangutans, a species whose international trade is banned by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Orangutans – a species native to Indonesia and Malaysia – are found only in the forests of the islands of Sumatra (western Indonesia) and Borneo (split between Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia).

The species is classified as critically endangered, due to the loss of its natural habitat due to the expansion of agriculture and poaching. EFE

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