Thai police halt orang-utan's boxing bouts

The Observer ^ | 19/12/04 | John Aglionby

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The boxing ring and spectator stands at Safari World zoo on the outskirts of Bangkok lie eerily neglected, as if they have been unused for more than just five months. Bouts stopped in August after a lengthy police investigation into allegations that the 115 fighters employed by the zoo were illegal migrants. After months of officials arguing, procrastinating and initially botching the scientific tests, the final result was announced last week.

As well as the 45 fighters the zoo admitted to smuggling into Thailand, at least 12 others did not have proper permits.

Welfare activists claim that this indicates a much wider problem and are demanding legal action.

Determining the truth has been hampered by the fighters' inability to communicate with the investigators. This is because they are orang-utans, now the alleged victims of one of the largest ever alleged primate smuggling scams in South East Asia.

Bhuvanart Saengsue, a vet at Safari World, told The Observer that the zoo has been trying to help the animals, who for years have been dressed daily in silky shorts and boxing gloves to entertain visitors.

Such claims are bluster, according to Edwin Wiek of the Borneo Orang-utan Survival Foundation. He says the evidence against the zoo is conclusive - if the zoo were innocent, its captive-breeding programme would be by far the most successful anywhere in the world - and cannot understand why the owner, Pin Kiewkacha, is still at liberty.

'We are 100 per cent sure 57 are illegal. Fifteen others have died since the investigation began, but no one's been allowed to see the corpses, which is very suspicious,' he said.

'The remaining 43 comprise 29 young and 14 adults. For all these young to have been legally bred, each of the adult females would have had to have had a baby every year and that just doesn't happen.'

The Thai government's approach has fuelled activists' claims of a cover-up to protect the zoo's rich and influential owner. Obstacles were erected at almost every step of the investigation and senior officials refused to meet a government delegation from Indonesia, where experts believe the primates came from.

'We have approached them many times but they don't seem keen to resolve the crisis,' said Widodo Ramono, director of biodiversity conservation at the Forestry Ministry.

Forestry police chief Major-General Sawaek Pinsinchai said last week: 'We'll press charges against Pin once we're sure the evidence is solid.'

But Wiek fears neither Pin nor his staff will face trial. 'What will happen instead is that they will restart the boxing and no one will go to prison.'

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Bhuvanart Saengsue, a vet at Safari World, told The Observer that the zoo has been trying to help the animals, who for years have been dressed daily in silky shorts and boxing gloves to entertain visitors.

Very entertaining!

[T. Buzzard Trueblood]

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LOL thanks!