Orangutans implanted with transmitters
Orang-utans implanted with transmitters before release: A Sabah Wildlife Department initiative in collaboration with Danau Girang Field Centre and the NGO HUTAN
As part of the conservation effort into further understanding of orang-utan behaviour and ecology, Sabah Wildlife Department have now successfully implanted transmitters into three orang-utans at Sepilok Orang-utan Rehabilitation Centre. Research into this technique first began in March this year, when scientists Dr. Christian Waltzer from University of Veterinary Medicine, Austria and Dr. Thierry Petit, veterinarian at La Palmyre Zoo, France performed preliminary experiments in France with orang-utans in captivity. The transmitters implanted into the orang-utans are 35 millimeters in diameter and 10 millimeters wide (see picture). The method tested in France was successful, and so the oreo-sized transmitters have now been implanted into the thick fatty tissue of the neck of the three orang-utans at Sepilok. This method is more successful than radio collaring as orang-utans are clever enough to be able to remove radio collars easily, and transmitters are able to be turned on and off by magnets without the need for unnecessary surgery on the orang-utans. Danau Girang Field Centre and the NGO Hutan are collaborating with the Sabah Wildlife Department on this project and have provided radio-transmitters and antennae to follow the orang-utans after release in the forest. By tracking their movements, researchers can gain a greater understanding of orang-utan conservation, and use data gained from transmitters to support the need for orang-utan habitat conservation in the ongoing battle for rainforest survival.