N. Adri The Jakarta Post 12 Jul 17;
Some 570 orangutans are undergoing treatment at rehabilitation centers across East Kalimantan after losing their natural habitat to the conversion of rainforests, conservation group has said.
Conservation group Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF) said a rehabilitation center it operated in Samboja Lestari currently held up to 170 orangutans, while another rehabilitation facility in Nyaru Menteng was caring for 400 others.
“The foundation is currently housing the most orangutans that need to be rehabilitated. We want that number to decrease, until there are no more of these animals in our rehabilitation centers,” BOSF chief executive officer Jamartin Sihite said at an event to mark the release of seven orangutans into the wild on Tuesday.
The event was the group’s 14th release, with the latest conducted last month to return a 30-year-old East Kalimantan orangutan named Romeo back to his natural habitat after spending 24 years in the BOSF rehabilitation center. (kuk/ebf)
