Malaysia: Semenggoh Wildlife Centre orang utan population boom an unhealthy trend overcrowding

Rintos Mail The Star 17 Dec 10;

CONTINUED reduction in the interbirth interval (IBI) of semi-wild orang utans at Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, about 19km from Kuching may have an adverse effect on the well-being of the primates and the habitat in the area.

Executive park management Nor Emel Fardina Jaddil said reduction in the birth gap would cause overcrowding.

She said when there was overcrowding due to growing population, it would increase competition for home, food and mates.

“Competitions for food, home and mates may lead to a fight, especially among the male.

“There was a fight recently among the males over a female that led to the death of a young orang utan in the park,” she said when presenting her papers on “The Semi-Wild Orang Utans Interbirth Interval Trend in Semenggoh Wildlife Centre” during the 10th Hornbill Conference in Miri yesterday.

Nor Emel said the implication of reduction in birth interval would also lessen the mother’s nursing on the babies, which would have a negative effect on the psychological well-being of the offsprings.

She said besides that, it would also cause degradation of the foraging area, especially to the forest canopy.

Nor Emel said the environment of Semenggoh might play a significant role in reducing the IBI of the semi-wild orang utans in the area.

“In Semenggoh, the orang utans are released in a confined and small home, which makes mating more frequent compared to in the forest.

“Here, the chances of male and female meeting each other and mating are also made more easier through feeding,” she said.

To prevent shorter birth interval, she recommended that the management create more feeding area to reduce meetings and matings.

She also suggested that the management continuously monitor the breeding pattern of the orang utans in the area.

“We must look at this matter seriously to ensure continued survival of the sweethearts of Sarawak,” she said.

Nor Emel added that due to its relatively small size, the reserve was unable naturally to support the growing number of orang utans living there.

There are currently 27 orang utans in Semenggoh.