Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Orang Utan Rescue

Every year, around 2,000 to 3,000 Orang Utan died because of loss of habitat i.e. forests in the Island of Kalimantan a.k.a Borneo, that are tranformed  into commercial plantations.

Today there are only around 45,000 to 55,000 Orang Utan left, most of them in Indonesian provinces on the Southern part of the Island, and 15,000 in Malaysian States on the Northern part of the Island.

Efforts have been made to rescue the Orang Utan from extinction, details of which can be found on the article I quoted from The Star (below).

Sunday December 19, 2010  

My mother was burnt alive

By Amy Chew
sundaymetro@thestar.com.my

The orang utan is our closest ‘relative’ yet we have taken more than our fair share of the land, destroying their habitat, driving them to certain death. Two foundations are racing against time to lease forest land to shelter them. They need our help.

THIS cuddly, adorable baby orang-utan is an orphan in Indonesia’s Central Kalimantan. Thousands of them are also found in Sumatra island and Malaysia’s state of Sabah and Sarawak.

Under what circumstances his mother died, his carers at the Nyaru Menteng Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre do not know.

 
                                       Helpless: This baby orang utan is an orphan in 
     Indonesia’s Central Kalimantan Nyaru Menteng 
Rehabilitation Centre.

But what is certain she met with a cruel and violent end – hacked to pieces, burnt or shot to death – like so many others before her.

As forest land is cleared by legal and illegal logging, palm oil and other agricultural plantations, thousands of orang utans are losing their habitat and source of food.

Hungry and desperate for food, they sometimes wander into palm oil plantations and eat the shoots of young plants where plantation workers will kill them in the most inhumane way.
“Palm oil workers, often offered a bounty, will take out these orang utan by any means possible,” says Michelle Desilets, founder of the Orang Utan Land Trust (OLT).

“Our rescue teams have found orang utan beaten unconcious and buried alive, butchered with machetes, beaten to death with iron bars and wooden planks,” she says.

“There have been times when the workers douse the orang utan with petrol and then throw a lighted match, burning them alive,” Desilet adds.

Every year, an estimated 2,000-3,000 orang utan perish from the loss of their habitat, causing them to die of starvation or suffer cruel deaths.

 
                                       Safe: A baby Orang Utan from the Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre.

Orang utan also die when forests fires break out, either set alight by the dry season, or deliberate burning by errant plantations or traditional farmers.

The orang utan, which means people of the forest, is our closest relative. It has a DNA which is almost 98% of that of a human being.

Only two percent separate us from these highly-intelligent creatures who have the capacity to feel the same emotions as a human being – pain, joy or sorrow.

The female orang utan are amongst the most protective mammals in the animal kingdom, who will give up their lives to protect their young.

When poachers hunt for baby orang utan to be sold off at a princely sum to animal traffickers, they always have to kill the mother who will defend her young to her last breath.
It is estimated that only 45,000-55,000 orang utan are left in the wild. Of that, 11,000 are in Sabah and another 4,000 in Sarawak.
More than a century ago, some scientists estimate there could have been as many as a million of these creatures.

OLT and Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOS) are working together to secure land in Kalimantan to save the orang utans from extinction.
OLT, a registered charity in England and Wales, supports sustainable solutions for the long-term survival of the orang utan in the wild by securing safe forests for their continued existence.

“If we can secure forests BEFORE it is cleared, then fewer orang utans will face this fate ... so that orang utans do not face a lifetime in a cage in a rescue centre,” said Desilets.
BOS is an non-profit organisation with the vision to establish a Bornean orang utan conservation in its natural habitat. It’s financial reports are audited annually by reputable auditors.
BOS, with the support of OLT, is raising money to lease 300,000ha of tropical forest land spread across the vast expanse of Kalimantan to save the orang utan from certain death.

The 60-year-lease for the 300,000ha from the Indonesian government costs 45 billion rupiah (RM15.9 million).

“To date, BOS Foundation has raised 13 billion rupiah (RM4.56 million) to pay for the licence fee in East Kalimantan for an area of 86,450 hectares,” said BOS chairman Togu Manurung.
BOS still needs to raise the remaining sum of money to pay for licence fees for the remaining 213,550 hectares of land as well as to fund the costs of transporting the orang utan to leased forest land.
With 25ha of rainforest being destroyed every minute, time is running out.
Instead of another nice dress or shirt, why not give someone a meaningful Christmas gift by donating to give the orang utan a chance to live?
In doing so, we restore our own humanity, worthy to be called human.


20 comments:

Ria Tumimomor said...

People busy to think about themselves and do not care about environment include animals and nature

ReBorn said...

I just know that the killing of orangutans was done 'deliberately'. Uncontrollable expansion always give a negative impact on our life.

Unknown said...

@Ria The Dream Catcher,
It is very sad that people tend to be very selfish and ignore the rights of animals to live peacefully in the habitat.

@ReBorn,
The horrible thing is that the govt grant license to transform protected forest to commercial plantations, therefore violating its own decision to protect forest and species living there.

Unknown said...

satwa yang satu ini tergolong langka..kalau di jogja ada pusat penangkaran satwa langka jogja.. dan proyek tersebut didanai bank dunia.ketepatan PPSJ tersebut tidak jauh dari tempat tinggalku..ok sobat posting lestari yang harus terus ditindak lanjuti...warta satwanya

colson said...

Since by some evolutionary mistake mankind gained the means and might to take charge of the surface of the earth while still staying too stupid to administer it with some sense, we are busy to destroy the habitat of other living beings - and that of ourselves.

julicavero said...

oh...there is terrible i think..many poeple doesnt care about orang utan..that's the fact

TUKANG CoLoNG said...

jangan ampe punah dehh

Unknown said...

@Wisata Murah,
Sebenarnya terbunuhnya Orang Utan hanya sebagian masalah yang timbul akibat pemberian izin pengalihan hutan, termasuk hutan lindung, jadi perkebunan komerisiil, logging, dll.

@Colson,
Many of us human beings tend to be very selfish and take nature for granted.
Many of the transformed forests were supposed to be legally protected forest. But due to some collusion between officials and businessmen they were changed into plantation, mining area etc.
As a result, forest is Kalimantan vanishing.

@Julicavero,
Yes many people don't care abourt orang utan.

@TUKANG CoLoNG,
Mudah2an Orang utan tidak akan punah.

sawali tuhusetya said...

wah, selamat atas domain barunya, mas harry. semoga makin tambah eksis dalam membangun semangat berbagi.

Unknown said...

Mas Sawali,
Terima kasih atas dukungannya.

Anonymous said...

Moga hewan asli Indonesia ini kan tetap terjaga keberadaannya

dee said...

Thanks for share this to us Harry! we have to care enough with orang utan, origin species from Borneo:P

Unknown said...

@Cucuharis,
Benar, mereka harus dilindungi agar tidak punah dengan memperketat penerapan hukum perlindungan hutan dan satwa langka, serta menghukum mereka yang melanggar.

@Dee,
Yes they should be protected.

Nice Veloso said...

Thank you for your visit and affection. Happy Holidays to you!

Vanessa said...

manusia cenderung serakah untuk mengeruk keuntungan tapi tidak mau peduli dengan hal2 yang sebenarnya sangat penting :(
padahal mereka juga ingin hidup

Daliana Pacuraru said...

Even is Christmas, a Romanian man attempted suicide by leaping from a balcony above the Romanian parliament as they began a motion of non-confidence. So is about a lot of problems in this world!
May our souls and mind be free during this holydays!
I wish you all my best!

choirul said...

salam hangat dari choirul huda

June_Butterfly said...

Truly sad!Hope the festive season would make humans more humane in dealing with all living beings.

Thank you for always reminding us taht there are things that we need to think of ,not only waking up each morning and do routine living.

MERRY CHRISTMAS,HARRY!A JOYFUL TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!

Unknown said...

@Veloso,
Thanks a lot.

@Ribka,
Pendapat anda benar.
Saya senang berjumpa dengan anda lagi

@Wind,
I am sad to hear about the suicide attempt in your country.
I hope that you and your family are happy celebrating Christmas.

@Choirul,
Senang berkenalan dengan anda. Terima kasih.

@June,
Human beings tend to be very selfish and take nature for granted
as if we are the only creature on earth therefore can do anything.

jolan said...

Illegal logging is intense and the rules are only made toys