KOTA KINABALU: Orangutan Appeal UK yesterday handed over a Land Rover vehicle to Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) to help it in its orangutan rehabilitation project at Tabin Wildlife Reserve.
The Land Rover was presented by founder and chairperson of Orangutan Appeal UK, Sue Sheward, to SWD director Datuk Dr Laurentius Ambu at Pacific Sutera Harbour, near here.
Laurentius, in his speech prior to the handing over ceremony said the study undertaken under the orangutan rehabilitation project was to identify the condition of orangutans that underwent rehabilitation at Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary after they had been released to the wild.
He added that this was the first time such a study was taking place and that the study was showing that it was not easy to rehabilitate orangutans back into the wild.
“Until today, we still have orangutans coming back as they are finding it hard to adapt to living in the wild,” he said.
Laurentius also mentioned that the good orangutan conservation work that had been carried out in Sabah were being targeted by individuals in Western countries.
“There are a lot of emails criticizing our conservation efforts. But our conscience is clear. There are only two countries in the whole world where you can find orangutans in the wild, and we in Sabah are working hard to conserve them,” he said.
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