EDWIN WIEK: “Hi Chico”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: “I’m a bit wary of you Chico I must say”.
They might look happy but these rare animals have been stolen,
drugged and sent far from home.
EDWIN WIEK: “This boy was born somewhere high in the trees,
given birth the mother and the mother must have been shot just because some
rich person somewhere in this world believes that having an orangutan as a pet
is okay”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: Tonight, inside a multibillion dollar
global business. We meet the smugglers.
[talking to whistle-blower] “That’s like killing a human being”.
And the campaigners putting their lives on the line.
EDWIN WIEK: “It’s a well-oiled, very well organised criminal
gang – it’s mafia”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: And we find out how some of the great apes are
finally coming home.
[walking through forest] “After a life time in captivity,
they’re just about to release this orangutan, in this beautiful, lush forest,
exactly where it should be”.
PROGRAM INTRODUCTION – THE BABY TRADE
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: We’re about three hours south of Bangkok on our
way to film some babies. They’re not just any old babies, these are
orangutans who were stolen from a forest in Indonesia and discovered in the
back seat of a Bangkok taxi. Animal rights campaigner, Edwin Wiek, is
taking us to meet them.
“Oh yeah here they are”.
EDWIN WIEK: [babies walking holding each other] “Yeah here they
are. Yeah so these are the ones that came from the taxi. It’s
actually quite sad to see, they’re nearly a couple of months now. At
least they have each other”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: This is Nomita and Shizuka just over a year
ago, filmed in the back of a taxi by an anti-trafficking group. The group
used Facebook to pose as a buyer, paying a deposit of 3,000 US dollars.
Thai police held the driver for a few hours then let him go without
charges. As for the real criminals behind the sale of these
three-month-old orangutans, we’ll come to them a bit later.
“This is the surrogate mother?”
EDWIN WIEK: “Yes this is the mama”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: A year on, the rescued babies have a new
temporary home here at a government sanctuary. They’re just two of many
smuggled orangutans that end up in Thailand every few months, far from their
jungle home in Indonesia.
EDWIN WIEK: “So Am takes care of the four orangutans here.
She just basically feeds them every day. They still drink milk.
They’ll come and smell you now”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: “Hello baby”.
EDWIN WIEK: “They look healthy”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: “Yeah they look okay”.
These four babies were all ripped from their mothers.
“What’s the prospect of these guys going back to the jungles of
Sumatra?”
EDWIN WIEK: “Because they’re young, there’s a much better chance
of them being repatriated back to Indonesia and going actually really to the
wild, especially because they’re Sumatran. So there’s a good chance
there’s the political will there. They have a bond now”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: The longer animals are out of the wild, the
harder it is to send them back. Harry has been here for three
years.
EDWIN WIEK: “Harry! Harry, you be nice please. Harry
was found in a public bus, together with a Bornean langur and a Bornean gibbon,
the three of them. So, they were put on a bus in a box to be sent to
Bangkok. They were caught in Hua Hin. So that’s about half an hour
from our centre”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: Orangutan trafficking is a lucrative business,
worth perhaps tens of millions of dollars per year by some estimates.
Babies are stolen from the jungles of Indonesia and sold as pets and for zoos
for entertainment.
Orangutans are especially valued because they can be dressed up
and taught to do tricks. This was filmed recently at a zoo just outside
Jakarta. The most lucrative destination is the Middle East, where the
trafficked animals can fetch tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Originally from the Netherlands, Edwin Wiek is a pioneer in
wildlife protection in Thailand, and a bit of a local legend. 18 years
ago, he survived a serious car accident. Ever since, he’s devoted his
life to rescuing and caring for animals. He runs projects throughout
Asia, including this refuge in Southern Thailand. His work often brings him
into conflict with authorities.
EDWIN WIEK: [Wildlife Friends Foundation] “I’ve been in gaol several
times because you’re pissing off the wrong people. The illegal wildlife
trade is very lucrative, a lot of people make lots of money including some
politicians or government officials in some cases. I’ve been pulled out
of my car once at night by a couple of people pretending to be police who
probably weren’t. They could have killed me if they wanted, but they didn’t.
Basically, it’s shocking”.
[calling out] “Where you going Mimi? Where you
going? Well done, well done Mim!”
[walking through sanctuary] “You see this is not what I would
suggest as a normal habitat for an orangutan”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: “No”.
EDWIN WIEK: “But it’s a great area to teach them how to live in
the trees again”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: Edwin takes me to meet Maggie and Chico, two
orangutans who are still damaged from their former lives as pets.
EDWIN WIEK: “There they are. There they are over there”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: “Oh there they are. Yeah, here we go”.
EDWIN WIEK: “Hi Chico”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: [gives Samantha a hug] “I’m a bit wary of you
Chico I must say! Very wary of Chico. I’m sorry. As long as you
don’t bite me, I’ll be fine”.
EDWIN WIEK: “He’s a good charmer! Chico…”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: “Thanks Chico”.
EDWIN WIEK: “Chico she doesn’t like red heads. She likes
blond men”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: Chico is five years old and was taken from the
rainforests of Borneo when he was a baby. He used to belong to a senior
Thai police officer.
EDWIN WIEK: “Chico what are you doing to do? What are you going
to do with that umbrella?”
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: He was dumped because he was too difficult to
handle.
EDWIN WIEK: [calling up into the trees] “Maggie, where are you?
Oh, there she is, there she is. You can see her hanging up there, you
see?”
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: Maggie is from Sumatra. She was smuggled into
Thailand as a baby and was somebody’s pet.
EDWIN WIEK: “Maggie come on, come on. Maggie!
Maggie! So, she looks for a high place and then she just, every day she
builds a nest. Unfortunately, we can’t let her sleep here because the
local people would probably kill her at night if they go hunting in the area
and they see something in the tree, they wouldn’t know what it is and they’ll
just shoot it first and then check it so… you see?” [Maggie swings to the next
branch]
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: “Oh you did it!”
EDWIN WIEK: “She’s so clever. Clever girl!”
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: But while Maggie displays all the right
signs of rehabilitation, Chico shows none. He doesn’t even know how to
climb a tree.
EDWIN WIEK: “If you realise that this boy was born in the jungle
of Borneo, somewhere high in the trees, given birth the mother and the mother
must have been shot”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: “Yes of course”.
EDWIN WIEK: “Just because some rich person somewhere in this
world believes that having an orangutan as a pet is okay. You can see in
one view here the boy being completely wasted by humans against a girl who has
found her kind of freedom again and is living a much more natural kind of
life”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: Edwin says many of the rescued animals he
returns to Indonesia end up back in zoos.
“So, they’re just caged again?”
EDWIN WIEK: “Just caged again. So, I find it utterly
disgusting that the Indonesian Government is not keeping its promise that the
animals that were confiscated in Thailand and repatriated back to Indonesia,
were put into proper rescue facilities to be at least rehabilitated to some
kind of social life with other orangutans in the semi-wild but even better,
back to the wild”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: We’re about to find out just how bad it can
get. We’ve come to the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, to investigate
Edwin’s claims and after repeated requests, we’ve finally managed to get inside
a government run animal rescue centre, to see a male orangutan, Jono, who’s
been caged here for five years after being confiscated from a local group that
kept him as a pet. We hear him before we see him.
Jono was rescued in April 2012. He’s been in this cage
ever since.
[standing outside of Jono’s cage] “Ah this has just been so
incredibly confronting to see the animal caged like this, this huge Orangutan
caged in this cage behind me for five full years. He’s obviously
distressed. It’s been… there’s just no words. There’s no
words”.
We’re told Jono will finally be taken to an orangutan sanctuary
some time this year but he’ll still need to be caged. At 15 years old,
he’s huge and now dangerous. Orangutans can live for up to 60 years in
the wild, but for him, rehabilitation is no longer an option.
Around the corner is baby Otan, confiscated from a house in
South Jakarta, he’s been caged since April last year.
Owning a pet primate is a big status symbol here, even though
it’s illegal. Chances are that like most trafficked orangutan babies,
Otan was grabbed after traffickers killed his mother. We’ve found an
insider who can tell us exactly how it all works.
[at the airport] “So we’re on the way to Medan in North Sumatra
where a former wildlife smuggler has agreed to talk to us. He was
involved in smuggling orangutans. We want to quiz him about what
motivated him, how much he was paid and what sort of sinister underworld he was
actually involved in”.
Driven by guilt, he’s now an informant for Scorpion, an
anti-wildlife trafficking unit based in Indonesia. We must protect his
identity or he could be killed.
“Tell me how did you first become involved in the smuggling of
wildlife?”
WHISTLE-BLOWER: [subtitle] “The main factor was of course the
amount of money”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: He would pay a local tribesman the equivalent
of fifty Australian dollars for a baby and on sell it to a middle man for
around two and a half thousand dollars. He was selling around three
orangutans a week.
“So, I want you, if you could, describe to me in detail how the
hunter gets the orangutan off the mother”.
WHISTLE-BLOWER: [subtitle] “Every time she hopped on a tree we’d
cut that tree down. We’d cut down trees until she was cornered. Next we’d
catch the mother in a net and either hit her or shoot her. Once she was
dying we’d take the baby”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: His orangutan smuggling career ended after one
last traumatic kill.
WHISTLE-BLOWER: “Her eyes were closed, and just like a human,
she pumped her breast to get milk for her baby… after 8 or 9 pumps there was some
milk, she passed out and died. After that I stopped trading orangutans”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: “And according to you and your view of
orangutans that’s like killing a human being”.
WHISTLE-BLOWER: [subtitle] [nods] “Yes, then I felt… how would
it be if it happened to me, being separated from my child?” [upset]
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: The smugglers are constantly devising new ways
to get the animals out of the country. Our ex-smuggler and other sources
tell us they rely partly on corrupt officials at airports.
WHISTLE-BLOWER: [subtitle] “Before we shipped them we’d give the
baby orangutans milk. Sometimes we’d mix the milk with baby formula to
fill them up. Then we’d put them in nappies and give them pillows to hug. It’d
be hard for us to take the pillows away from them because they think they’re
hugging their mothers”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: It’s not just orangutans that are in
demand. This baby gibbon was discovered a few months ago in the Jakarta
home of a wealthy Indonesian who wanted it as a pet.
EDWIN WIEK: “We’ve seen it all – pilots, cabin attendants being
used to smuggle stuff because they can eventually put whatever they want on the
plane anyway. We’ve seen diplomats using their diplomat suitcases to
smuggle wildlife or parts of wildlife. The Chinese are notorious for
it. They do it all the time from Africa. It’s al possible.
It’s a well-oiled, very well organised criminal gang. It’s mafia behind
it”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: “That means they go from Indonesia, they’re in
Malaysia…”.
EDWIN WIEK: “They’re everywhere”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: “… they’re in Thailand”.
EDWIN WIEK: “They’re everywhere”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: Some smuggled orangutans do get a second
chance. We’ve come to East Kalimantan on the island of Borneo to see how
the rescued animals are reintroduced into the wild. Borneo is one of the
most heavily forested areas left in Indonesia, but with only 50,000 wild
orangutans left, they’re critically endangered.
It’s even worse in Sumatra, where it’s believed there are only
six and a half thousand. They’re the only two places in the world where
wild orangutans live and they’re in danger of dying out due to habitat
destruction and the illegal pet trade.
“Hi Hardi”.
HARDI BAKTIANTORO: “Hi, hi”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: “Thanks for having us. It’s a long way to
get here”.
HARDI BAKTIANTORO: “Welcome to our centre”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: Hardi Baktiantoro runs the Centre for Orangutan
Protection or COP.
EDWIN WIEK: “I always like to call Hardi the orangutan
commando. He is one of the real people fighting on the frontline against
the abuse, the poaching, the trade of orangutans and other wildlife, but
especially orangutans in Indonesia. And at the same time, he’s got to be
politically correct and keep in good shape with the authorities in Indonesia
because if he wouldn’t, he couldn’t continue his work”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: [Popi hugging carer] “Popi seems to really like
her a lot”.
Popi was found wandering near a local farm. Her mother was
almost certainly killed by hunters. She’ll need the help of her human
surrogate, Weti, for at least three years. Just like a human baby,
orangutans need feeding every couple of hours, right through the night.
When they’re kept as pets, they rarely get the care they need.
HARDI BAKTIANTORO: [subtitle] “They’re mistreated, for example,
they’re given fried noodles or they’re given rice, mistreatment like that.
They need cuddling to feel safe but instead they’re kept in a box or a bag”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: Popi is on her way to forest school.
These are her classmates. Here they’ll very simply learn to be
orangutans, to find their own food in the jungle, to climb, to be wild.
Popi is the least brave in the class, but they’ll all have time to learn.
They’ll remain here for at least another five years before being released into
the wild.
HARDI BAKTIANTORO: [subtitle] “They were scared of climbing
trees. They didn’t know how. So if we put them on even a small tree
they’d be scared and cry. So we had to climb the tree too. When they got
better at it they’d climb higher. If they got stuck we’d climb up and get
them”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: [baby approaching Samantha] “Hello.
Hello. It’s my hair! Is it the colour? Oh he wants the hair band I
think”.
Once they’ve matured and have reached a stage of semi-wild,
it’ll be time for the next step, a pre-release island and no cages for a
while. We’re heading there now, to deliver the adult orangutans their
breakfast. The alpha male Hercules, was rescued from a decrepit university zoo
in 2015. Soon he’ll be released back into the wild.
[arriving at beach] “They’ve waited a bit long. They were
getting really angry, weren’t they? So, there’s corn and banana”.
[orangutan in a cage] This is Oki. He’s about to be set
free after spending most of his 15 years in some form of captivity. We’re
lucky enough to be able to film with Hardi and his team as it happens.
HARDI BAKTIANTORO: [subtitle] “Now he’s finally able to return
to the wild. It’s an extraordinary experience for him”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: First he has to be sedated. Then they
take samples of his fingerprints and hair so they can identify him later.
Finally, Oki is transferred into an even smaller box, ready for tomorrow’s
journey. It has to be small so he can’t move around and hurt himself – or
us.
We set off early the next day but it’s a long journey with many
delays and the vet is worried about Oki spending twenty hours in a very small
box.
RIAN WINARDI: [subtitle] “He’s stressed but not too much.
During the journey we tried to keep the box at a constant temperature so that
it wasn’t too hot or too cold. It’s a long journey, a long process.
He needs to be in there for a long time. As the vet I need to make sure
he’s okay”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: Now the final leg, a two kilometre walk into
the Sungai Lesan Conservation forest.
“So, we’ve just actually crossed the river, we’re having a few issues
with our camera which is fogging up so it’s a really hard thing to film
actually but it’s really quite incredible, what a special moment after a
lifetime in captivity they’re just about to release this orangutan in this
beautiful, lush forest, exactly where it should be”.
Oki isn’t following the script. Normally orangutans, a
solitary animal in the wild, move quickly away from humans and climb a
tree.
RIAN WINARDI: “It didn’t go according to plan. We hoped he
wouldn’t turn around and look at people. But he did. He’s an
ex-rehab orangutan after all”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: We leave. All alone now Oki
returns, unsure of what to do or where to go. He finds a camera in the
tree and tries to eat it.
It’s a new day.
[returning to where Oki was released] “A team returned last
night and said that Oki had made a nest which was a really, really good
sign. Now we’re heading back up early this morning with the vet to check
that he’s okay. Th next big thing is that he has to have eaten some fruit
from the trees. So, we’ll see.
For now, he hasn’t gone far from where he was first
released. Then, he spots us.
[whispering] “So it seems to be following us down the river so
the vet’s just told us to hurry up and get away from it. So probably not ideal”.
For our own safety we have to leave the path and head through
the dense rain forest.
RIAN WINARDI: “He felt upset because we were being too noisy and
he’s not used to so much activity. There were two things. He was
upset and he was hungry”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: Eventually we shake him off. For Oki there’s a
good chance it will all end well. Sadly, he’s the exception.
EDWIN WIEK: “Those government officials in Indonesia know very
well what’s going on. They know who the hunters are and they know who the
traders are. Without help from the authorities, you wouldn’t get these
animals out of the country”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: And this remains a very dangerous game for
those trying to expose the corruption.
EDWIN WIEK: “When I stop at a red light and a motorbike with two
people stop next to me, I sometimes a bit worried when I go somewhere I haven’t
been before, but kind of fear more for my Thai colleagues or my Indonesian
colleagues like Hardi, whose lives are probably in more danger than mine”.
SAMANTHA HAWLEY: As for the smugglers who used Facebook to sell
the babies in the taxi, it’s business as normal. We’ve been told by a reliable
source that investigations into the case have stalled, even though Thai police
know who the perpetrators are, where they live and have bank account evidence
against them.
For now, Normita and Shizuka are stuck here in Thailand, their
rainforest home in Sumatra is still too dangerous. Indonesian authorities
admit that orangutans are likely to become extinct in the wild in 50
years. Some conservationists fear it will be much sooner. Edwin
Wiek says that just shouldn’t be allowed to happen.
EDWIN WIEK: “Whether they are influential politicians,
government people, or just wealthy business people, hit them as hard as you
can. They should be hit as hard as drug dealers or weapon dealers.
That’s what they really are. Make sure that these poachers are being
caught, being stopped, told to stop and hurt them too because if it doesn’t
hurt, it won’t work”.
TEXT ON SCREEN: Oki is doing well in the Borneo forests,
learning how to live in the wild again.