Asia's great ape which is the Orang-Utan are found in the rain forest of SouthEast Asian island of Borneo and Sumatra.Not surprisingly they are found in Sarawak which is their in situ ,spending their entire lives swinging in tree tops and building their nest to sleep. However these large mammals are facing threats and are considered endangered due to deforestation of their habitat for palm oil plantation and maybe even other plantations.
With that in mind, the Yayasan Pulau Orang Utan Bukit Merah was formed in 2000 with funds amounting to RM1 million donated by Tan Sri Hj Mustapha Kamal bin Hj Abu Bakar, through Yayasan EMKAY. The Bukit Merah Orang Utan Island is also lucky to have a passionate Veterinary Surgeon ,Dr Sabapathy Dharmalingam as the Chief Executive Officer. Their mission is to promote the conservation of the Orang Utan through ex situ efforts at the Orang Utan island encompassing awareness campaigns on the plight of the Orang Utan,education programmes,research studies,rehabilitation and collaboration with Universities.
The island which was formerly known as Pulau Panjang comprises of 35 acres area. 15 acres of which has been set aside as an exhibit for rehabilitation endangered species with provision for further expansion.The island now have 16 Orang Utans and this facility's achievements in rehabilitation and the care of the Orang Utans, especially the ones born on the island, has made the place warrant a label the only ex-situ facility of its kind in the world.
Today,the 10th November 2019 , the Bukit Merah Orang Utan Island further cements Malaysia as the scientific referral centre for Orang Utan.On this date a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Bukit Merah Island Foundation and Seoul Grand Park Zoo to facilitate research, education and veterinary care on the Orang Utan.
"On behalf of Seoul Grand Park,I am truly delighted that we have inked a collaboration with Bukit Merah Orang Utan Foundation which is renowned around the world in building conservation capacity in aspects of primatology such as primate behaviour and ecology, captive care and veterinary medicine, and conservation biology." stated Chung-hun Song,the Director General of Seoul Grand Park.
Present during the ceremony were the delegates from Seoul Grand Park,Tan Sri Hj Mustapha Kamal ,Dr Sabapathy Dharmalingam,officials from the Wildlife department, Department of Veterinary Service,and other representatives from Zoos and Corporate bodies, members of the media including yours truly.
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| The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding. |
During the press conference,a delegate from Seoul Grand Park Zoo mentioned that they have 6 Orang Utans at their Zoo and two of them are unwell.Therefore they need the help of Dr. Sabapathy Dharmalingam to train their employees in ways of looking after their Orang Utans.
As for the Bukit Merah Orang Utan Island, what they need are support from our local government as well as other private bodies in terms of funds in looking after our endangered species which is the Orang Utan.
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| Exchanging gifts |
Ends
