Nhim VandaWednesday, June 07, 2006
Lawmaker Asks WildAid To Give Him Back His Orangutan
By Whitney Kvasager and Pin Sisovann
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
CPP lawmaker Nhim Vanda on Tuesday requested that the environmental organization WildAid return his pet orangutan, after the group seized the ape in Phnom Penh on Monday and took it to an undisclosed location for medical treatment.
The four-year-old male orangutan, named Yaska, was seized at about 10 am by military police members of WildAid's rapid response team, after they were tipped off that two men were transporting a sickly orangutan on the back of a motorbike near Street 63, WildAid animal husbandry specialist Nick Marx said.
"The orangutan is mine, I raised him since he was a baby for more than three years," said Nhim Vanda, who is also first vice president of the National Committee for Disaster Management "WildAid seized my orangutan as if they arrested their enemy," said Nhim Vanda, who owns two private zoos.
WildAid workers took the orangutan to receive medical care, Marx said, though he declined to say where the treatment would occur.
The two men transporting the animal were taken to the municipal forestry administration's offices in Phnom Penh, interviewed and released, he said.
"It is very, very sick and needed medical care," Marx said.
The orangutan will remain in WildAid's care until a government investigation proves it was not illegally imported to Cambodia, he said, adding that depending on the outcome, the orangutan could be taken back to the wild.
WildAid is uncertain where the ape came from, but orangutans are only indigenous to Indonesia
Orangutans are listed as endangered species by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna and their transportation and trade is restricted and tightly monitored.
Nhim Vanda said he had all the paperwork required to legally own Yaska. He said his ape had just come from a veterinarian appointment to treat a mild fever and cough, but was otherwise healthy.
"I raise my animals well. They give birth to their children and grandchildren," he said "I am worried Yaska will die while he is away."
The four-year-old male orangutan, named Yaska, was seized at about 10 am by military police members of WildAid's rapid response team, after they were tipped off that two men were transporting a sickly orangutan on the back of a motorbike near Street 63, WildAid animal husbandry specialist Nick Marx said.
"The orangutan is mine, I raised him since he was a baby for more than three years," said Nhim Vanda, who is also first vice president of the National Committee for Disaster Management "WildAid seized my orangutan as if they arrested their enemy," said Nhim Vanda, who owns two private zoos.
WildAid workers took the orangutan to receive medical care, Marx said, though he declined to say where the treatment would occur.
The two men transporting the animal were taken to the municipal forestry administration's offices in Phnom Penh, interviewed and released, he said.
"It is very, very sick and needed medical care," Marx said.
The orangutan will remain in WildAid's care until a government investigation proves it was not illegally imported to Cambodia, he said, adding that depending on the outcome, the orangutan could be taken back to the wild.
WildAid is uncertain where the ape came from, but orangutans are only indigenous to Indonesia
Orangutans are listed as endangered species by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna and their transportation and trade is restricted and tightly monitored.
Nhim Vanda said he had all the paperwork required to legally own Yaska. He said his ape had just come from a veterinarian appointment to treat a mild fever and cough, but was otherwise healthy.
"I raise my animals well. They give birth to their children and grandchildren," he said "I am worried Yaska will die while he is away."
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