Cambodian men look at a four-year-old male orang utan at the forestry department after he was rescued from the streets of Phnom Penh June 5, 2006. REUTERS/Chor SokuntheaOrangutan seized from Cambodian government official
Australian Broadcasting Company
06/06/2006
An orangutan has been seized from a senior government official in Cambodia as the animal was being driven across Phnom Penh in a taxi.
The four-year-old ape is said to have been rescued by wildlife conservationists in an operation backed by Cambodian military police.
But the official concerned - National Disaster Committee Nhim Vanda - says he received the orangutan two months ago, and had permission to keep the animal in one of his two private zoos.
The four-year-old ape is said to have been rescued by wildlife conservationists in an operation backed by Cambodian military police.
But the official concerned - National Disaster Committee Nhim Vanda - says he received the orangutan two months ago, and had permission to keep the animal in one of his two private zoos.
He also says he will be filing a complaint if the ape is not returned.
Orangutans - native to the island of Borneo and Sumatra in Indonesia - are an endangered species and their trade is banned internationally.
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