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Authorities rescue young orangutan being kept as pet
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An officer of West Kalimantan Natural Resource Conservation Agency (BKSDA) holds a three-year old male orangutan in Sintang Regency, West Kalimantan, on Saturday. The agency officers and Sintang Orangutan Center rescued the orangutan which was being kept as a pet. (Photo courtesy of/West Kalimantan BKSDA)
O
fficers from the West Kalimantan Natural Resource Conservation Agency (BKSDA) rescued a young orangutan from a local house in Sintang regency where it was being kept as a pet.
The male 3-year-old orangutan named Andiki was bought by its owner about a month ago, West Kalimantan BKSDA head Margo Utomo said on Saturday.
The owner told the agency personnel that the family bought the orangutan when they were having a meal in the Simpang Pinoh area in Makong.
The agency received a tip off from local people about an orangutan being kept as a pet and then went to look for more information.
Besides rescuing the orangutan, BKSDA officers also disseminated information on the 1990 Law on Natural Resources Conservation and Ecosystem that prohibits the capture of endangered wildlife.
"After we spoke to the owner, the officers rescued Andiki in collaboration with the Sintang Orangutan Center," Margo said, as reported by Kompas.com.
The orangutan has been taken to the rehabilitation unit at the Center's facility in Sintang before being released into its natural habitat.
Margo added that the agency has pushed for public awareness in keeping the country's rich natural resources. The consumption of nature must be in line with conservation efforts.
"Therefore we must stop the illegal trade and ownership of protected wildlife," he added. (rin)
