Forest School for Orphan Orangutans Responds to COVID-19 Concerns
Virus thought to pose grave danger to great apes
BOSTON, March 2020 – The coronavirus pandemic has the potential to wipe out the last populations of non-human apes, experts have warned.[1] FOUR PAWS’ FOREST SCHOOL for orphan orangutans is not taking any risks, preparing stockpiles and training and screening staff.
The fact that COVID-19 can be deadly for humans leads scientists to fear it could prove fatal to great apes as well. Orangutans are particularly vulnerable to respiratory diseases in general, therefore COVID-19 could affect them even worse than us. Already at the brink of extinction, for orangutans this danger could be the last push to eradicate these species. Orangutans, gorillas and chimpanzees, who share about 98% of human DNA, are so similar to humans that they have been used in pharmaceutical research. Now, this similarity could be fatal once more.
Eight of the remaining estimated 100,000 wild Bornean orangutans are currently attending a rehabilitation program operated by the global animal welfare organization, FOUR PAWS International.
Rescued after their mothers had been killed, they are now being raised at the FOREST SCHOOL in East Borneo in preparation to live in freedom once they have reached their maturity. Dr. Signe Preuschoft, primatologist at FOUR PAWS, and her Indonesian team, are extremely concerned about their little protégés.
As the number of coronavirus cases reported in Indonesia slowly rises, there is a risk that infected caregivers could pass on the virus to the orangutan orphans.
“At the ORANGUTAN FOREST SCHOOL, we do have a non-contact policy”, says Dr. Preuschoft explains of the general policy to keep these animals unfamiliar with humans. This means, “no one enters the school who is not involved in the care and education of orangutan orphans. But of course, our orphans have body contact with their surrogate mothers from time to time. How often this occurs depends on the age of the apes. The older orangutans already live quite independently, finding their own food and staying high in the trees. Physical contact with their caregivers is rare. But the younger ones still need loving contact, clinging, cuddling and comforting when they are scared.”
Note: Any advertisements that may appear during the viewing of this video are unrelated to FOUR PAWS. We assume no liability for this content.
The team, therefore, has taken precautions: Upon arrival at the facility, all caregivers change into their uniforms and boots, uniforms get washed on-site and not taken home. They all wear a face mask whilst in the forest school.
As all of our 12 sanctuaries around the world, the forest school team has also stockpiled some food, and especially cleaning materials. However, some supplies are a problem. High safety mouth respirators (N95), laser thermometers and disinfectants are impossible to get at the moment in Indonesia. “Unfortunately, there is no one hundred percent protection. Children are usually not heavily affected by COVID-19 so, hopefully, this will also apply to our orangutan orphans”, says Dr Preuschoft.
FOUR PAWS is the global animal welfare organization for animals under direct human influence, which reveals suffering, rescues animals in need, and protects them. Founded in 1988 in Vienna by Heli Dungler and friends, the organization advocates for a world where humans treat animals with respect, empathy, and understanding. FOUR PAWS’ sustainable campaigns and projects focus on companion animals including stray dogs and cats, farm animals and wild animals – such as bears, big cats, and orangutans – kept in inappropriate conditions as well as in disaster and conflict zones. With offices in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Kosovo, the Netherlands, Switzerland, South Africa, Thailand, Ukraine, the UK, the USA and Vietnam, as well as sanctuaries for rescued animals in eleven countries, FOUR PAWS provides rapid help and long-term solutions. www.fourpawsusa.org