Locking horns over two ‘stubborn’ gibbons
Moving operation turns into row between NGO and Perhilitan
Two gibbons, which are protected animals, were purchased undercover by the police and handed over to an NGO for rehabilitation. The Wildlife and National Parks Department, however, demanded that the gibbons be handed over. But the task turned into a prolonged and heated affair. To add to the drama, the one-day operation turned into a three-day standoff, no thanks also to the stubborn primates.
RAUB: An operation to remove two gibbons from a private rehabilitation facility here turned into a prolonged and heated affair between wildlife officials and an NGO.
The two juvenile gibbons were purchased early last month by undercover policemen in a joint operation with environmental NGO Peka (Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam Malaysia) to smash a local wildlife-trafficking syndicate.
The police then handed the two gibbons – named Goku and Ara – over to Peka, which is sponsoring an effort to conserve and rehabilitate gibbons for eventual release back to the wild.
However, it was later decided that the NGO would have to surrender the two gibbons to the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan), as gibbons are a Schedule 2 (totally protected) animal under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010.
Keeping such an animal would require a special permit from the Water, Land and Natural Resources Ministry which oversees Perhilitan.
In e-mails seen by The Star, the surrender of the two gibbons was supposed to have taken place on Thursday, with an air-conditioned vehicle from the department’s National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Sungkai, Perak, to have been brought here to transport the animals.
However, the one-day operation turned into a three-day standoff until Saturday, as Perhilitan personnel failed to coax the gibbons down.
They also arrived in an opentopped, all-metal transport truck instead to transport the gibbons on the long journey to Sungkai.
Tempers ran high, especially on Friday, with the gibbons also not tempted by fruit and vegetables laid in a trap built to resemble their enclosure.
This made the frustrated Perhilitan personnel contemplate using the tranquilliser dart gun to capture the gibbons.
However, the Perhilitan personnel relented to a plea by Peka gibbon rehabilitation project manager Mariani Ramli not to use the dart gun.
They decided to use the food trap again on Saturday, and it took nearly three hours before both gibbons were captured.
This reporter, who witnessed the operation, took a video of the Perhilitan personnel carrying the two gibbons in their trap-cage, wading through a fast-moving, one-me- tre deep river back to their vehicle, instead of using the suspension bridge there.
The Perhilitan team then stopped to rest at the Federal Building in Raub town, where National Wildlife Rescue Centre veterinarian Dr Zubaidah Kamarudin said the gibbons would only head for Sungkai after 6pm as it would be cooler then.
Dr Zubaidah also placed extra towels under Ara, as per Mariani’s request, to protect it from injury.
When contacted, an official said the ministry was aware of the matter and the gibbons’ surrender, and said it would only issue a response today.