Malaysia

Orangutans – dying to please in Malaysia?

A set of four postcards we would greatly appreciate your help with
sending to the relevant authorities.
Please see How to Help page

Malaysia is well known as a country of fabulous wealth. What is less well known and its government would prefer you not to know is; it is a major importer of illegally logged wood from rainforests – especially from Indonesia. Not content with taking the trees that orangutans live in, the government of Malaysia has permitted some zoos and theme parks to illegally import orangutans from Indonesia as well.

The children of Central Kalimantan, Borneo, want their orangutans returned.
Photo: Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation

In addition to being an active player in the illegal orangutan trade, Malaysia, when it does get its hands on these animals, proceeds to cage, humiliate and make as much money as possible from them. It’s all about making ever-more money….at any cost to the health and well-being of orangutans. To its credit, in December of 2005, but only after intense public scrutiny and pressure, Malaysia did return six orangutans to Sumatra. It was meant to be seven but as of May 2006 they are still reluctant to hand over this remaining orangutan – even though they admit it was illegally imported.

The A’Famosa Resort (520 hectares incorporating a theme park, golf course, hotel, holiday homes and small safari park) used to proudly boast about ‘their’ Sumatran orangutans.

This turned out to be their downfall when a British tourist raised questions later about how a zoo could legally have so many endangered and protected orangutans; the answer turned out, they could not, and the orangutans were eventually repatriated by the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme. To see a full report on the repatriation please visit www.sumatranorangutan.org 

The orangutan is forced by its handler to grin in keeping with those paying to have their photo taken.

Winner of the ‘Minister Special Award’ by the Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board, the A’Famosa Resort appears to enjoy abusing and humiliating orangutans.

Orangutans at this resort are forced to take part in humiliating shows twice a day. The resort’s brochure has photos of an orangutan dressed as a golfer with a golf club in its hands and another photo shows an orangutan dressed in human clothes and wearing sunglasses, whilst riding on the back of a buffalo. With no outside orangutan exercise enclosures visible to the public, it is unclear where the orangutans are kept when not performing on stage.

A question mark hangs over the origin of a number of orangutans at A’Famosa.

At the government-run Malacca Zoo the shows are of an appalling standard. It would be difficult to exaggerate how dreadful these shows are and one can only wonder what  goes through the minds of these intelligent great apes, as day after day, 365 days a year they are hauled out to be abused and laughed at. No attempt is made to educate the public.

How can you help the situation in Malaysia?

CITES - Please can you write to the Secretary General, Mr. Willem Wijnstekers, and ask him why the CITES office in Malaysia refuses to make public the DNA report on the orangutans? Also, when will this same office return to Indonesia seven orangutans that its own CITES official in Malaysia has said belong back in that country?

The e-mail address of Mr. Willem Wijnstekers is: willem.wijnstekers@cites.org

Could you also write to the Minister of the Environment: Datuk Azmi Khalid and ask him to investigate why this orangutan DNA report is being kept secret? Please could you also ask him when will he return the seven orangutans currently being made to perform clown-like, inhumane and degrading tricks in Malaysian zoos, back to Indonesia?

The e-mail address of Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid is: azmi.khalid@nre.gov.my

Please copy your e-mail to info@parliament.gov.my

and mycounsellor@btconnect.com

Malaysian Tourist Board Director (UK), Mr. Razip Hasan, is someone who needs to know how unacceptable these cruel and degrading orangutan shows are, and how badly they reflect on Malaysia to you as a potential visitor.

The e-mail address of Mr. Razip Hasan is: info@tourism-malaysia.co.uk

At all times, please be polite in your E-mails to these people.

All photos on this page are courtesy of Nature Alert who retain the copyright.

Back to Top