Malaysia: Hype about orang utan’s release but not his return

MUGUNTAN VANAR The Star 2 Sep 19;

KOTA KINABALU: Animal rights activists are calling for more transparency by the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation centre, especially over its silence with the high-profile release of the orang utan named Tiger at the Tabin wildlife reserve late last year.

Friends of the Orangutans Malaysia director Upreshpal Singh said it was clear that Tiger was unable to go back to its natural home and was brought back to the Sepilok rehabilitation centre.

“We are aware that it is now in Sepilok but its management continues to use videos of its release back to the wild as a success story to tourists visiting the internationally famed rehabilitation centre.

“The use of such video portraying Tiger’s release may not be the appropriate representation, ” he said, adding that it was important for Sepilok authorities to explain what happened to Tiger, which was rescued as a baby 17 years ago.

Having spent 17 years in the Sepilok Forest Reserve, it was set free at the Tabin Wildlife Reserve in Lahad Datu on Oct 3 last year.

However, it was learned that he did not adapt well to his new environment, and was seen venturing into human settlements before he was recaptured and taken back to Sepilok.

“Why were they silent when Tiger was taken back to Sepilok? We have written to Sepilok authorities but they have never responded, ” Upreshpal said, adding that Tiger’s release was highly publicised as the “journey to freedom” and “return to the wild” by the Sabah Wildlife Department.

“We would like to question whether Tiger’s release into Tabin was a success for orang utan conservation in Sabah, especially since Tiger was relocated back to Sepilok two months later, ” he added.

Upreshpal said when rehabilitated orang utans were released, there needed to be post-release monitoring but there was none when it came to Tiger.

He said the International Union for Conservation of Nature also recommended that post-release monitoring data be made public as part of conservation efforts of orang utans.

He noted that Tiger was a fully mature male, and in a forest, dominant orang utan males establish their territory and generally stay within it their entire lives.

He felt that putting Tiger into a forest could possibly have led to brutal physical conflicts with other resident males.

“Tiger has been at Sepilok for more than 15 years, so he may not have the survival skills of a totally wild dominant male orang utan, ” he said, adding that Tiger might not have the ability to establish and defend himself in his new home.

Tiger, the orang utan, to be returned to the wild again
MUGUNTAN VANAR The Star 3 Sep 19;

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah wildlife guardians are not giving up on plans to return Tiger, the rehabilitated orang utan, to the wild after its high-profile release in October last year into a protected forest did not succeed.

Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga said they were in the process of trying to find a suitable site for his release.

“Actually, we are not giving up on releasing Tiger back into the forest because we believe he can survive but we need to find suitable site, far away from human habitation, ” he said when contacted Tuesday.

However, he denied claims animal conservation activist that Sabah Wildlife Department had been secretive about Tiger’s return to the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre in Sandakan.

“It is not true that we kept Tiger’s return to Sepilok a secret because most of those in conservation fraternity in Sabah knew about it, ” he said.

Tuuga also disputed claims by Friends of the Orangutans Malaysia director Upreshpal Singh that the wildlife officials had failed to monitor Tiger after its release in Tabin which was widely publicised locally and internationally.

“It is not true that we did not monitor him after his release. We monitored him several days but he disappeared into the forest, ” Tuuga said.

“It can survive in the forest. Going to human habitation is the problem, ” he added.

Upreshpal had raised concerns over Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation centre’s silence over Tiger’s return to Sepilok and the failure to monitor it after releasing it into the wild.

He also said that the Sepilok management continued to use videos of its release to the wild as a success story to tourist visiting the internationally famed rehabilitation centre.

“The use of such video portraying Tiger’s release may not be the appropriate representation, ” he said on Sunday (Sept 1).

On Oct 3 last year, Tiger, which spent 17 years in the Sepilok Forest Reserve after being rescued a baby orang utan, was set free at the Tabin Wildlife Reserve (TWR) in Lahad Datu.

However, it was learned that he did not adopt to his new environment and was seen visiting settlements before being recaptured and taken back to Sepilok.