On November 20, 2013, the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme got a call about an injured orangutan found in the mountainous region of Tapanuli. “He had cuts on his face, on his head, back, hands, and legs,” recalls researcher Matt Nowak. “They even found some air rifle pellets inside his body”—indicating torment and harassment by people. […]
Tag: Indonesia
Is the ‘Extinct’ Javan Tiger Still Alive in Indonesia?
No one’s actually seen the animal for 40 years, but a wildlife ranger in Indonesia has snapped photos and video of a tiger that many believe is long extinct. The Javan tiger is one of the nine subspecies of tiger. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List declared it extinct in […]
Can the Javan rhino be saved before disaster strikes?
As the old saying warns, it’s bad enough to put all your eggs in one basket. If you have to, though, at least try not to leave that basket sitting on the beach under an active volcano. Unfortunately, that’s basically the situation of the last population of the Javan rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus). The Javan rhino […]
POLL: Should the illegal wildlife trade in slow lorises be stopped?
The tourism industry has taken some big steps to stop the exploitation of wild animals, but a recent rescue effort has highlighted how much more needs to be done on our part to help stop the illegal wildlife trade. After receiving reports of 17 endangered slow lorises being kept in deplorable conditions as an attraction […]
Indonesia’s birds being wiped out by pet trade
Birds are hugely popular pets in Indonesia. A 2011 study found, for instance, that more than one-third of households in the six biggest cities of Java and Bali kept birds as pets. Most of these pet birds are caught from the wild. Conservationists say that the popularity of bird-keeping in Indonesia has been driving the […]
POLL: Should wild bird markets in Indonesia be closed down?
Thirteen species of Indonesian birds, including the country’s symbolic Javan hawk-eagle, are at serious risk of extinction mainly due to the pet trade, a wildlife watchdog warned Wednesday. The vast Indonesian archipelago is home to a dizzying array of birds and keeping them as pets has long been part of the national culture, with birdcages […]
Rare Sumatran Rhino Found for First Time in 40 Years
Sumatran rhinos had been thought extinct from Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo, and hadn’t been physically encountered in the area for 40 years. But on Tuesday, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) announced the safe capture of a female Sumatran rhino there, in what the group calls “a major milestone for rhino conservation in Indonesia.” […]
POLL: Should the wild bird trade in Southeast Asia be banned?
A cacophony of birdsong rings out from hundreds of wire and bamboo cages strung along awnings and crisscrossing the ceilings of cramped open-air stalls at Pramuka, Indonesia’s biggest bird market, in the capital, Jakarta. Thousands of wild birds—ranging from tiny brown finches and brilliant rainbow lorikeets to small-bodied, large-eyed owls—will be sold as pets to […]