Orangutan with parang wound dies

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SANDAKAN: A 20-year-old orangutan that was found seriously wounded in a parang (machete) attack by a worker from an oil palm estate located 65 kilometers from Sandakan has died.

The male primate succumbed to its injuries yesterday at 4.30pm at Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Quarantine and Clinic facility.

Sabah Wildlife Department director William Baya said in a statement yesterday that they had lost the poor injured orangutan Gedau due to severe complications, initially caused by the savage attack by the plantation worker.

“Our veterinary and medical team tried their utmost best to save it, and even for the first few days the orangutan seemed to be improving for the better. Unfortunately when the orangutan was further observed and monitored it became obvious that the parang wound to the back was so deep that it had punctured the air sac, causing a severe infection. The air sac is a loose pouch located around the throat of the orangutan that he uses for vocalizing,” he elaborated.

William added that even with their expert care and medical treatment the results of the post-mortem confirmed that the orangutan died of an acute and severe septicemia caused by the initial parang wound and also the smaller secondary wounds that was probably caused by the same parang.

An Indonesian estate worker, Syam bin Sul, 38, was sentenced to 12 months’ jail by Sandakan Magistrate’s Court over the case.

He was charged under Section 37 of the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997 which provides a penalty of a fine of 20,000 ringgit or imprisonment for two years, or both, for causing reckless injury to a protected animal.

Syam who claimed that he attacked the orang utan after it chased him has been jailed for a year.

“Now since this case has escalated to a killing (murder) of a fully protected species and not just injuring it, I have directed my prosecution officer to discuss this case with the court to consider appealing for a much heavier punishment to be meted out to the orangutan killer,” added William.