One Orangutan Found Dead In Gunung Leuser National Park

ILLUSTRATION/Orangutan at the Jantho reintroduction center, Aceh Besar. ANTARA/M Haris

BANDA ACEH - A patrol team from the Gunung Leuser National Park Office found one individual Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) in the TNGL area in Puteri Betung Village, Puteri Betung District, Gayo Lues Regency, Aceh.

Daily Executive Head of the TNGL Center, Ruswanto, said the dead male orangutan was found dead on Saturday (23/7), at around 12.45 WIB.

"The orangutan was found dead with five scars on the right shoulder and three on the left shoulder. The team also found fragments of orangutan hair in the Aih Gumpang Conservation Forest Farmers Group area," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Thursday, July 28.

The discovery began when the National Park Management Section Team (SPTN) Region III Blangkejeren, Section II Kutacane National Park Management, TNGL Great Hall carried out patrols.

During a patrol, the team found a dead Sumatran orangutan. The team also combed the location and found the hair of the protected animal at a distance of 300 meters from the point where the orangutan was found dead.

"The team then took the orangutan's body to Puteri Betung Village and coordinated with the local village head. Next, the team returned to the location to obtain supporting data on the cause of the orangutan's death," he said.

Then, the team took the orangutan's body to the SPTN III Blangkejeren Office and performed a necropsy. From the necropsy results, it is known that the weight of the orangutan ranges from 45 to 50 kilograms.

"Based on the results of the examination, there were several wounds on the right and left shoulders, soles of the feet, fingers, and thighs. The wounds were suspected to have been hit by a hard object and a fanged animal bite, causing bleeding and infection," said Ruswanto.

He said the Sumatran orangutan is a protected animal according to the regulations of the Minister of Environment and Forestry regarding protected plant and animal species.

Article 21 Paragraph (2) letter a of Law Number 5 of 1990 concerning Conservation of Biological Resources and Their Ecosystems states that everyone is prohibited from capturing, injuring, killing, storing, possessing, maintaining, transporting, and trading protected animals alive.

"By paying attention to several incidents or violations at the location of the conservation partnership cooperation, the TNGL Center immediately evaluates conservation forest farmer groups involved in the conservation partnership program in GLNP," he said.