Orangutans sick in E. Kalimantan

Orangutans sick in E. Kalimantan

BALIKPAPAN, East Kalimantan: Ailments afflicting orangutans in
East Kalimantan include the common flu, hepatitis, intestinal
worms and tuberculosis, the head of a forestry research center
has said.

Boen Purnama referred to orangutans here during a workshop on
forest fire coverage.

Speaking at a workshop on forest fire coverage, Boen Purnama
said that many of the affected orangutans, who are cared for at
the Wana Riset Semboja rehabilitation center could be cured,
including one suffering from Hepatitis C.

He said he regretted that a trade in orangutan continued, with
animals fetching prices of up to Rp 500,000. "To catch a young
orangutan, a hunter must kill its mother," Boen said.

Boen said psychologists skilled in dealing with primates were
needed to care for and rehabilitate orangutans at the center,
which is located 38 kilometers south of Balikpapan.

The center, which currently holds 200 orangutans, needs at
least Rp 3 million to care for each orangutan over a three-year
period, the agency said. This year it has released 40 orangutans
back into the wild. (anr)