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Endangered Tapanuli orangutan found malnourished, injured out of habitat near Batang Toru
NSHE communications and external affairs director Firman Taufick condemned the injuries sustained by the orangutan, noting the need for all parties, not only the government and the private sector, to protect the critically endangered species.
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Personnel from the North Sumatra Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA North Sumatra) and the Orangutan Information Centre (OIC) find a critically injured and malnourished male Tapanuli orangutan in Sipirok district in Batang Toru ecosystem in South Tapanuli, North Sumatra, on Sept. 19, 2019. (Courtesy of OIC/-)
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Tapanuli orangutan was found wounded and malnourished on a plantation near the Batang Toru ecosystem in South Tapanuli, North Sumatra, on Thursday, marking what local authorities claim is the first indication of conflict between humans and the newly discovered species in the area.
The North Sumatra Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA North Sumatra) and the Orangutan Information Centre (OIC) discovered the injured male orangutan, believed to be about 30 years old, with wounds to the face and back on a plantation in Aek Batang Paya village, Sipirok subdistrict.
“The Tapanuli orangutan found with wounds and malnourishment was the first case we have handled since the species was first discovered by scientists two years ago,” BKSDA head Hotmauli Sianturi told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
Hotmauli said the orangutan was in a critical condition after sustaining injuries thought to be caused by a blunt object and was very thin purportedly because of a lack of proper nutrition.
The orangutan is currently receiving treatment at the orangutan quarantine and rehabilitation center in Batu Mbelin, Sibolangit subdistrict, Deli Serdang regency, North Sumatra, she said.
She went on to say that it was common for orangutans, whose damaged habitat had left them with no food supply, to enter plantation areas during the durian and petai (stinky bean) season to look for food.
Such a condition, she alleged, could lead to conflicts between the orangutans and residents, who wanted to keep the former off their plantations.
