ANN/THE STAR – Malaysia does not need to gift orangutans to palm oil-trading countries, as these primates are more likely to survive in their natural environment, said Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
He disagreed with the idea of orangutan diplomacy.
“We don’t have to present orangutans as gifts. Instead, we can demonstrate our commitment to caring for them and preserving their habitat from plantation destruction,” he said following the launch of a workshop on tourism destination resilience yesterday.
Abdul Karim added that the right habitat for the orangutan was in Borneo.
“If you give them away, it’s not good. The best place for these animals is their natural habitat, not in zoos or cages,” he said, adding that Sarawak was doing well in orangutan conservation.
The orangutan is a protected species under Sarawak’s Wildlife Protection Ordinance.
There are an estimated 2,000 orangutans in Sarawak’s wild and 11,000 in Sabah.
