World Scene: Indonesia

'Orangutan pets trend goes on'

Orangutans are still being captured for pets in Indonesia, further threatening the survival of the critically endangered great apes, conservationists said yesterday.

The wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC - using data from rehabilitation centers as an indicator - said rapid deforestation poses the biggest danger to the estimated 7,300 Sumatran orangutans in the wild. Despite years of legal protection and awareness campaigns, the capture and trade of these apes for pets or local zoos continues to contribute to the decline in these species, said Chris Shepherd, the group's acting director in Southeast Asia.

(China Daily 04/17/2009 page10)