Orangutan forced migration “counterproductive” say conservationists

The forced displacement of orangutans by capture and translocation is leaving our great ape cousins “lost and hungry” and bringing them into conflict with other Critically Endangered wild orangutans, according to new research.

The study by NGO Wildlife Impact and Liverpool John Moores University found that translocations of orangutans have not only failed to protect the species but can also be detrimental to the individuals captured for translocation.

Even when moved miles from home, nearly one-in-three individuals make the journey back again to their original capture sites.

The study looked at translocations in Indonesia where the animals are commonly moved out of areas people want to use for agriculture, mining, logging and infrastructure, or to grow fruit crops.

Professor Serge Wich, of Liverpool John Moores University, an author on the study, said: “Moving animals away and out of sight may be convenient for humans but it is taking its toll on these majestic animals."

No long-term solution

The research, published this week in the journal PLOS One analysed nearly a thousand translocation events, known as wild-to-wild translocations, documented since 2005 and found that even where people had good intentions to protect orangutans from harm, wild-to-wild translocations failed to achieve long-term solutions for orangutan conservation.

Orangutans occur in Indonesia and Malaysia and their numbers have been falling, with an estimated drop of 15-20% in the past 20 years across Sumatra, Sabah and Kalimantan, which are the remaining strongholds of the species.

“Wild-to-wild translocations have not protected orangutan populations but have instead put the welfare and survival of translocated individuals at risk” said lead author Julie Sherman, Director of Wildlife Impact.

“Our findings underscore the importance of in-situ conservation that prioritizes conflict mitigation and habitat protection instead of translocation in all but the most exceptional circumstances”.

Human-animal conflict

Each year around 1 in 8 orangutans in Sumatra are either killed or translocated, seriously undermining the viability of the species. This is particularly concerning for the Tapanuli orangutan, which has the smallest population and habitat area of the three orangutan species.

Translocations have become a go-to remedy for governments and industry to address the concerns of local residents who feel their crops are at risk despite risks to the captured and translocated orangutans and the wild populations they are released into.

More than 80% of the orangutans reported in the study were healthy at time of capture and did not need to be “rescued” for medical reasons or translocated to find sufficient food.

“Most translocations are conducted because people see orangutans near their crops, not because the orangutans are damaging those crops” said co-author Felicity Oram, Director of Orang JUGA.

“Because most forests have been fragmented by agriculture, these animals need to cross farms to move between forests, and are then sometimes encountered by people, in unexpected places”.

Break-up primate communities

The research team found that most translocated orangutans were released in unfamiliar habitats, with nearly 90% of them released 10km or more from where they were captured.

Professor Wich, of LJMU's School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, said: “Not only does this further fragment orangutan populations and disrupt social structure and genetic flow, it brings the animals into conflict as they are intolerant of unfamiliar orangutans and can be aggressive towards them”.

Research has shown that orangutan infants spend up to nine years learning from their mothers how to find food in their habitat. Moving individuals into an unfamiliar area leaves them struggling to find food and having to compete with unfriendly new neighbours.

The team added that while deforestation is a critical threat to orangutans, most translocations were not linked to forest loss and that orangutans removed from areas in or close to forests, could have survived if protected from killing and capture.

Co-existence possible

The study calls on policymakers, conservation practitioners, and local communities to adopt an evidence-based approach to orangutan conservation. Such an approach would focus on protecting rather than moving orangutans if they are within a 5 km radius of forest fragments or forest corridors. And it urges landowners, local communities, and industries to preserve both large forests and smaller fragments and to promote coexistence.

“Adopting a holistic strategy to protect and connect fragmented habitats and work with communities to enable coexistence will reduce the demand for risky translocations, protect wild populations, and improve coexistence between humans and orangutans”, said Professor Wich.

The full study Outcomes of orangutan wild-to-wild translocations reveal conservation and welfare risks is available in PLOS One.

For further inquiries, please contact:
Julie Sherman, Director, Wildlife Impact – julie@wildlifeimpact.org
Serge Wich, Professor of Primatology, Liverpool John Moores University – s.a.wich@ljmu.ac.uk