Nice Promotion For The Safari World Zoo

[Toni]

Times Online April 18, 2006

Kick-boxing orangutans finally on the way home

BY JENNY BOOTH AND AGENCIES

Fifty-four orangutans illegally smuggled into Thailand to take part in kick-boxing contests are finally to be sent home after two years in government custody.

Thai officials today promised to send the apes back to their native forests as soon as DNA tests confirm exactly where they come from.

The orangutans have been languishing behind bars at the Khao Pratap Chang wildlife preserve ever since they were seized at the Safari World Zoo on the outskirts of Bangkok in 2004, where they had been made to fight each other daily for spectators. Efforts to send the animals home have been delayed by wrangles over who is responsible for them and where they belong.

The owner of the zoo claimed they had been bred in captivity, but DNA tests eventually proved that 57 of the 114 zoo orangutans were not born in the in-house breeding programme but had apparently come from outside Thailand.

A Thai court ruled earlier this year that the 57 illegally smuggled apes should be sent home. Three of those have died, while the other 57 orangutans have been returned to the zoo after the owners proved that they were bought before Thailand amended its law in 1992 to make smuggling illegal. Steven Galster, of the WildAid-Thailand conservation group, said today that several orangutan experts had concluded that the 54 apes were from Indonesia’s Kalimantan province.

"I think all or most of them are going to go back to Indonesia, not to Malaysia," said Mr Galster said.

"Most of the experts have taken a look at them, without even doing DNA, and they have said these are from east and west Kalimantan. They can just tell."

Thai, Indonesian and Malaysian authorities will meet on Friday and Saturday in Bangkok to discuss the fate of the orangutans and the results of further DNA tests to determine their country of origin.

"while the other 57 orangutans have been returned to the zoo after the owners proved that they were bought before Thailand amended its law in 1992 to make smuggling illegal.[/b] WELL DONE!!

[wolf5370]

This is being talked about already here:

Other Thread Here

Trust a Murdoch paper to sensationalise it without any basis of fact whatsoever - they obviously have not sent anyone to actually see the show

where they had been made to fight each other daily for spectators.

The Times is just the Daily Mirror without red ink these days!

[Donz]

Dam i missed out when i was there last, Would of been a great fight to watch unless some animals get seriously injured.

[markuk]

i think safari world is great.... for thailand..... better than the crocodile farm!!

[GuestHouse]

This issue has been running for too long now, a real blight on Thailand's image.

The sooner these animals are returned the better

However, I doubt very much we'll be hearing they are going just yet. Such things have a habit of dragging on in Thailand.

[wolf5370]

Dam i missed out when i was there last, Would of been a great fight to watch unless some animals get seriously injured.

No worries Donz, I've seen it twice and no animal gets hurt in the show. Only the humans! The apes are trained to do slapstick - like kick the ref up the butt when he goes to pick up the towel etc. No real boxing or anything, its a comedy show. Chimps stealing the refs whistle. Chimps in leotards with the round number on etc. Its just for giggles. That's why this story really pisses me off - 'cos its always miss reported in the West to look like Badger baiting or something. While shit holes like Nong Noock don't get their deserved slaging off! - Rant over - and relax

[saeb]

If these poor beasties are here illegally (and no doubt kept in horrendous conditions as the average zoo in Thailand seems to be).........then does it not say in the immigration act something about aliens being employed and the employer being subject to a fine or imprisonment?.

If they were imported to work or perform without work permits then is there a test case there for some enterprising young lawyer?.

For a buddhist country the treatment of animals in Thailand has always left me confused.

Sure, I like to eat meat - but cruelty for entertainment purposes?.

Anyone remember that demented elephant that ran down Petchburi Road in 1997 and was duly machine gunned into a klong?. I saw that - horrible. Poor thing.

[Donz]

well we box kangaroos in outback australia

[Toni]

If these poor beasties are here illegally (and no doubt kept in horrendous conditions as the average zoo in Thailand seems to be).........then does it not say in the immigration act something about aliens being employed and the employer being subject to a fine or imprisonment?.

If they were imported to work or perform without work permits then is there a test case there for some enterprising young lawyer?.

For a buddhist country the treatment of animals in Thailand has always left me confused.

Sure, I like to eat meat - but cruelty for entertainment purposes?.

Anyone remember that demented elephant that ran down Petchburi Road in 1997 and was duly machine gunned into a klong?. I saw that - horrible. Poor thing.

when there is demand there is business! A lot of bored people are looking for new excitement. Last year the authorities in Spain arrested a gang organising hunt-safaries with old exotic animals bought from zoo's and a circus. Just before the arrest the "hunters" shot an old lion. sick

[jdinasia]

Cool! Saves BIG money for having to go to Africa on Safari!

[Doza]

well we box kangaroos in outback australia

Yeah? Where would that be then? Do you mean you box them personally or you organise them to box? Never seen that mate.

[stumonster]

well we box kangaroos in outback australia

says a sydney dweller

[jdinasia]

Anyone for dinner at the Chiang Mai Night Safari?

[Toni]

Dam i missed out when i was there last, Would of been a great fight to watch unless some animals get seriously injured.

No worries Donz, I've seen it twice and no animal gets hurt in the show. Only the humans! The apes are trained to do slapstick - like kick the ref up the butt when he goes to pick up the towel etc. No real boxing or anything, its a comedy show. Chimps stealing the refs whistle. Chimps in leotards with the round number on etc. Its just for giggles. That's why this story really pisses me off - 'cos its always miss reported in the West to look like Badger baiting or something. While shit holes like Nong Noock don't get their deserved slaging off! - Rant over - and relax

sorry, the issue is not only how the head-line has been made but there is another side to the whole story and that is the illegal smuggling of endangered species and how these people are trying to get around the whole issue!

[wolf5370]

sorry, the issue is not only how the head-line has been made but there is another side to the whole story and that is the illegal smuggling of endangered species and how these people are trying to get around the whole issue!

Sure, I agree. That is what they should be reporting on. The problem is that the focus is on cruelty. This may be the case in the training, possibly, but again it is not what is the focus. The focus is on the supposed cruelty of making animals fight - this is strongly implied directly by the wording of the excerpt above. The focus should be thre real issues - as you point out - that the animals should not be there in the first place.

By reporting on non or half truths, it gives leeway for the whole thing to get brushed under the carpet as it hijacks the less emotive smuggling in favour of cruelty, which can be proven incorrect. The story gets downgraded at best or discredited at worst.

[meemiathai]

(and no doubt kept in horrendous conditions as the average zoo in Thailand seems to be).

?

For a buddhist country the treatment of animals in Thailand has always left me confused.

?

but cruelty for entertainment purposes?.

?

Anyone remember that demented elephant that ran down Petchburi Road in 1997 and was duly machine gunned into a klong?. I saw that - horrible. Poor thing.

What was the problem?

I can't see how people in Thailand are treating animals worse than people in other countries. If one can see stray dogs lying on and blocking pavements in a busy street.

[Donz]

well we box kangaroos in outback australia

Yeah? Where would that be then? Do you mean you box them personally or you organise them to box? Never seen that mate.

its been banned about 10 years back.

They had it at alot of country festivals until the RSPCA came in an had a cry about it

[Toni]

sorry, the issue is not only how the head-line has been made but there is another side to the whole story and that is the illegal smuggling of endangered species and how these people are trying to get around the whole issue!

Sure, I agree. That is what they should be reporting on. The problem is that the focus is on cruelty. This may be the case in the training, possibly, but again it is not what is the focus. The focus is on the supposed cruelty of making animals fight - this is strongly implied directly by the wording of the excerpt above. The focus should be thre real issues - as you point out - that the animals should not be there in the first place.

By reporting on non or half truths, it gives leeway for the whole thing to get brushed under the carpet as it hijacks the less emotive smuggling in favour of cruelty, which can be proven incorrect. The story gets downgraded at best or discredited at worst.

You are right, but that is how the news media are behaving to increase sales!

Remember the headlines after the outbreak of botulism caused by bad prepared food?

………..Disease sparks chemical attack fear………..

…………..A serious disease outbreak in the northern province of Nan yesterday had Army weapons specialists and US disease investigators on full alert…………..

………….Military biological-weapons experts have been flown into Nan………..

[wolf5370]

Yep, Chinese whispers. The Thai press says one thing, the English language Thai press (BKK Post/Naton/etc) say something different and the Western press picks up on it and reports nothing like the original story.

The anti-Thaksin march the other day was reported on the BBC news as being because Thaksin had sold his company abroad (Singapore). No mention of the tax dodge or other dodgy dealings. No mention of the short election call etc. Complete ballcock because they do their research via Google rather than using foreign correspondance like the good old days.

[jdinasia]

sorry, the issue is not only how the head-line has been made but there is another side to the whole story and that is the illegal smuggling of endangered species and how these people are trying to get around the whole issue!

Sure, I agree. That is what they should be reporting on. The problem is that the focus is on cruelty. This may be the case in the training, possibly, but again it is not what is the focus. The focus is on the supposed cruelty of making animals fight - this is strongly implied directly by the wording of the excerpt above. The focus should be thre real issues - as you point out - that the animals should not be there in the first place.

By reporting on non or half truths, it gives leeway for the whole thing to get brushed under the carpet as it hijacks the less emotive smuggling in favour of cruelty, which can be proven incorrect. The story gets downgraded at best or discredited at worst.

You are right, but that is how the news media are behaving to increase sales!

Remember the headlines after the outbreak of botulism caused by bad prepared food?

………..Disease sparks chemical attack fear………..

…………..A serious disease outbreak in the northern province of Nan yesterday had Army weapons specialists and US disease investigators on full alert…………..

………….Military biological-weapons experts have been flown into Nan………..

The smuggling story was done to death earlier ... as is noted in the article with the DNA tests .... just had to be around for it .... if they covered it as the smuggling story ... there would have been no NEW news

[wolf5370]

So they make one up? Or twist it so far out of proportion it becomes a story when, in fact, its not. Personally I prefer no news to BS - otherwise I'd read the Daily Sport (UK paper - which has nothing to do with sport, but is full of naked women and made up stories)