InfoAnda - Malaysian orangutan hospital sparks controversy

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Greece protests to Turkey over sorties in Aegean | International | | 2 September 2009
Invisible millions pay price of statelessness | | 23 August 2011
Jackson nephew made co-guardian of pop star's kids | | 23 August 2012

Former United Artists head Andy Albeck dies at 89 | 4 October 2010

">Forum Views () ">Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Malaysian orangutan hospital sparks controversy

Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail Yahoo! Search Search: Sign InNew User? Sign Up News Home - Help Navigation Primary Navigation Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Secondary Navigation Australia China India Indonesia Japan Malaysia Philippines Thailand Vietnam Search Search: Malaysian orangutan hospital sparks controversy AFP - Sunday, May 31 BUKIT MERAH, Malaysia (AFP) - - A Malaysian orangutan sanctuary where baby apes wear nappies, sleep in cots and are cared for by nurses dressed in masks and starched uniforms has drawn the wrath of environmentalists. ADVERTISEMENT At Orangutan Island in Malaysia's north, tourists snap photos as they file past large windows looking onto a facility billed as the world's only rehabilitation and preservation facility for the endangered primates. Behind the glass, adorable baby orangutans like two-month-old Tuah lie swaddled in nursery sheets and cling to baby rattles. "He is separated from the mother because his hands got entangled in the mother's hair and was unable to breastfeed," says the facility's chief veterinarian D. Sabapathy. Tuah lies calmly in his cot with his eyes wide open and hands across his chest, hooked up to cables monitoring his heart beat and oxygen levels, ignoring the passing parade. But the care lavished on the animals, which are fed every two hours by a staff of seven nurses on duty round the clock, is lost on environmentalists who say this is no way to treat wild animals facing the threat of extinction. Managers of the 35-acre island, which is part of a resort hotel development, say they aim to return the animals to their natural jungle habitat, but so far none have been released. "It is ridiculous to have orangutans in nappies and hand-raised in a nursery. How are they going to reintroduce the primates back in the wild," said senior wildlife veterinarian Roy Sirimanne. Sirimanne, who has worked in zoos in Southeast Asia and the Middle East over the past four decades, said baby orangutans need to be with their mothers to learn survival skills. "First, we need to save their habitat which is quickly disappearing. And it is the mother that will teach its young for the first four years or more on what to eat and how to look for food," he told AFP. "Keeping the orangutans in captivity on an island is not a conservation programme. It amounts to desecration (of the species) as it is nearly impossible to reintroduce them back to the forest." Experts say there are about 50,000 to 60,000 orangutans left in the wild, 80 percent of them in Indonesia and the rest in Malaysia's eastern states of Sabah and Sarawak on Borneo island. But Orangutan Island is situated in the north of peninsular Malaysia, far from the jungles of Borneo where the orangutan's natural habitat is being lost to logging and palm oil plantations. A 2007 assessment by the United Nations Environment Programme warned that orangutans will be virtually eliminated in the wild within two decades if current deforestation trends continue. The Malaysian branch of conservation group Friends of the Earth said the best way to save the orangutan is to address rampant poaching and shrinking habitats. "We are opposed to the orangutan sanctuary. We are opposed to this theme park resort having wildlife in captivity," said its president Mohamad Idris. "Captive-bred orangutans have no natural resistance against diseases, making them susceptible to diseases. Death is inevitable," he said. The centre's veterinarian defended the facility, situated in the tourist town of Bukit Merah, which opened in 2000 and now houses 25 orangutans. He admitted the centre had suffered a high mortality rate in its early days, with seven deaths of infant orangutans between 2000 and 2003, but said it had learned a lot since then. "It is the pride of Malaysians and it is aimed at helping ensure our orangutans do not become extinct," said Sabapathy. He said the facility was originally stocked with orangutans obtained from the forestry department in Sarawak state on Borneo, who had been confiscated from individuals there. "Now we can study the primate and collect data. The orangutans will eventually be returned to Sarawak. That is our objective," he said. Sabapathy said infants were only removed from their mothers if they were underweight, neglected and at risk of dying, and that some mothers raised their own babies, including one born in May. "I will not be disheartened by the criticism," he said. "We are not ill-treating them. People say the species is getting endangered but what are they doing? We are trying to increase the numbers in the wild." Nearby, 21-year-old nurse Nadiah Mohamad smiled fondly at one-year-old April who was rejected by his mother, and fed him with formula while four-month-old June showed off by jumping around her cot and pulling the bedsheets. "I love them. It is like taking care of a small child," she said. When the baby apes are a year old, they are transferred to an "infant development unit" designed to teach them to live in the wild. In another zone, enclosed with electrified barbed wire, adult orangutans are free to roam and build their nests in the treetops. Most of the visitors, from Malaysia and abroad, are delighted to interact with the animals and are unaware of the criticism. "I don't think it is wrong keeping them here. It is a practical solution to save the orangutans and educate our children," said 26-year-old Vikki Kendrick from Britain. Email Story IM Story Printable View Blog This Sign in to recommend this article » 0 users recommend Related Articles: Asia Pacific Death toll in China coal mine blast rises to 30AFP - Sunday, May 31 Fiji bans 'inciteful' Christian conferenceAFP - Sunday, May 31 N.Korea threat hangs over S.Korea, ASEAN summitAFP - Sunday, May 31 Malaysian orangutan hospital sparks controversyAFP - Sunday, May 31 Aussie star Philippoussis falls on tough timesAFP - Sunday, May 31 Enlarge Photo Malaysian orangutan hospital sparks controversy Most Popular – Asia Pacific Viewed Vitamin D boosts brain power in middle-aged men Music icon Spector gets 19 years for murder Ancient eruption 'killed off world's sea life' US lab debuts super laser Talent judge defends singing sensation Boyle View Complete List » Search: Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - Community - Intellectual Property Rights Policy - Help

Other News on Sunday, 31 May 2009
Retired U.S. general denies seen photos in Iraq flap
Berlusconi trying to ban villa photos
G8 vows legal cooperation to tackle Somali piracy | International |
Israel on edge as US presses to halt settlements
Gas blast at Chinese coal mine kills at least 30 | International |
Twenty-five killed in China mine blast
Pakistan say Swat's main town under control
Obama calls for swift confirmation of Sotomayor
US warns NKorea amid reports of rocket launch preparations
Amnesty calls for probe of Sri Lanka civilian deaths
US will not accept nuclear-armed NKorea: Gates
High-roller has bad feng shui in US casino: report
Hardline Kashmir separatist denounces Taliban
Hamburg, the city where the Beatles 'grew up'
Murder Convicts Escape Arkansas Prison Dressed As Guards
Firefighter Given Probation After Admitting Stealing Severed Foot
Zactima, Alimta, Tarceva Cancer Pills Work To Slow Tumor Progression
FBI Investigating Allegations Of Sexual Misconduct At Massachusetts Police Academy
GOP Slams Democrat's Climate Change Bill
Mysterious Death Of American Tourist In Thailand Vexes Family And Investigators
Buffalo Soldier Buried At Arlington 85 Years After Death
Defense Secretary Gates: US Will Not Accept North Korea As Nuclear State
U.S. Congressman Checks Into Betty Ford
Classified Ad Seen As Assassination Threat Against Obama, Secret Service Investigating
Ex-Iraq trade minister arrested in mid-flight drama
Europe's desperate bid to bring out voters
New US command to focus on cyber battlefield
Pakistan troops say kill 40 Taliban near Afghan border | International |
Jewels worth six mln euros stolen from Paris store: police
Progress in lung cancer fight at specialist summit
Myanmar says Suu Kyi trial an internal affair | International |
Study links lung cancer to menopause hormones
Iran defuses homemade bomb on plane: report | International |
Jewels worth six million euros stolen from Paris store: police
South Korean police break up anti-government rally | International |
Opel rescue raises hopes, but Merkel warns of challenges
WITNESS: A night with China's secret police in 1989 | International |
Chinese rights lawyers face limbo over registration | International |
Abbas's forces kill Hamas militant in raid | International |
Rapper Jay-Z close to a deal with Sony
Climate change: 'Bali Road Map' seeks compass
Obama: It's necessary to reduce dependence on oil
Game Review: `inFamous' an electrifying experience
US delegation mixed on China climate change pact
Anger, disappointment sour EU parliament vote
Slowdown, shortages in focus at Computex | Technology |
Nintendo to launch new version of Wii Fit: report | Technology |
E3 seen returning to glitz | Technology |
Death toll in China coal mine blast rises to 30
Fiji bans 'inciteful' Christian conference
N.Korea threat hangs over S.Korea, ASEAN summit
Malaysian orangutan hospital sparks controversy
Aussie star Philippoussis falls on tough times
South Korean police break up anti-government rally
US urges rejection of Guantanamo Uighurs case
Dalai Lama defends Denmark visit after China criticism
S.Korea's Ssangyong Motor blocks strikers from plant
Retail giant Wal-Mart opens in India
Clooney, Hanks urge "yes" vote on actors' contract
Mykelti Williamson to join cast of '24'
"All in the Family" scribe Mickey Ross dies
Susan Boyle beaten in talent show final | Entertainment |
Nia Vardalos back in spotlight
Susan Boyle's dream ends as she loses talent show
Ship sinks off Indonesia's coast, at least 9 dead
Susan Boyle beaten in talent show final
Zoo To Give Men Mauled By Tiger $900,000
Giant underwater volcano found off Indonesia
Ship sinks off Indonesia's coast, at least 7 dead
Clooney, Hanks urge "yes" vote on actors' contract
God save the brand? Punk musicians power U.K. ads
Mykelti Williamson to join cast of '24'
"Idol" castoff Michael Johns to release album
Iran defuses homemade bomb on plane
Breakaway South Ossetia votes for parliament
Pakistan battles Taliban; Swat offensive near end | International |
Nintendo to launch new version of Wii Fit: report
Iranian officials defuse bomb in plane toilet
Rebel S. Ossetia votes in post-war test for ruler | International |
GM bondholders 'approve debt restructuring deal'
Nearly half Israeli outpost land is Palestinian
Microsoft reverses Windows 7 Starter limit
Aung San Suu Kyi 'covered up' truth: Myanmar junta
Six dead in Palestinian shoot-out
Germany rescues Opel, for now
Obama to create White House cybersecurity post
Asians talk of peace, haggle over arms | International |
55 whales die after mass beaching in South Africa | International |
Obama speech to Muslims key to new U.S. strategy | International |
Tensions emerge at first Kuwait parliament session | International |
Former Israeli president Katzir dies | International |
Dell aspires to be top Asia PC brand by 2012
Xbox 360 to show Sky live and on-demand programming
Verizon to sell Palm Pre, new BlackBerry phones
Sony Ericsson unveils "gesture gaming" phone
S.Lanka seeks help in dismantling Tigers' network
Nokia opens App Store rival, response slow
Israel 'will not bow' to US settlement freeze call
Pakistan says Swat offensive "near end"
Asustek aims to be No.3 laptop vendor in 2011
Vietnam records first swine flu case: ministry
Troops hunt Taliban as Pakistan says victory near
Sony to halve suppliers
Severe Weather, Possible Tornadoes Reported Around Indianapolis
Myanmar's Suu Kyi trades barbs with junta
Attacks strain Australia-India relations
Pakistan troops say kill 40 Taliban near Afghan border
Malaysian Sikh family in new 'bodysnatching' case
Two charged over plot to murder Hong Kong democrat
China faces dark memory of Tiananmen
SKorean carmaker Ssangyong closes strike-hit plant
India economy headed higher: analysts
Struggling GM thrives in China
Japanese take a broom to the Eiffel Tower
Diversity gobsmacked by UK TV talent show win | Entertainment |
Bordeaux bets on top quality but cheap 2008 drop
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01