13-12-2023 (BANGKOK) Two baby orangutans, named Nobita and Shizuka after characters from the Japanese show Doraemon, have been residing in Thailand since 2016 with the assistance of Bangkok police. However, they will now be repatriated to their home country, Indonesia.
On December 12, 2023, Narin Pratuanchai, Deputy Director General of Thailand’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, announced the decision to return three Sumatran orangutans, including Nobita and Shizuka, who were involved in an international wildlife trafficking case, back to Indonesia.
The repatriation plan follows discussions between Thai and Indonesian authorities, and the orangutans are scheduled to be transported on a Garuda Indonesia Airline flight, GA867, from Suvarnabhumi Airport on December 21. Indonesia will cover all expenses, including health checks.
Nobita and Shizuka gained attention back in 2016 when they were discovered in the back of a taxi, clinging to each other inside a box. The animal rescue group Freeland alerted the police by posing as potential buyers on Facebook and placing a $3,000 deposit.
Although the taxi driver was initially detained, he was later released, and no charges have been filed in connection with the incident. Edwin Wiek, founder of Thailand’s Wildlife Friends Foundation, described the wildlife trafficking case as the work of a well-organized criminal gang, asserting that there was a mafia involvement behind it.
According to Prasert Sornsathapornkul, Director of the Division of Wild Fauna and Flora Protection at Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Nobita and Shizuka are currently 7 years old. Nobita, a male orangutan, weighs 26 kg, while Shizuka, a female, weighs 20 kg.
Since 2016, both orangutans have been under the care of the Khao Pratap Chang Wildlife Breeding Centre in Ratchaburi. Another orangutan named Bryant, a 4-year-old male weighing 23 kg, who has been at the same facility since 2019, will also be returned to Indonesia.
The Central Institute of Forensic Science has conducted DNA analysis on all three orangutans, confirming their classification as Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii). Furthermore, health registrations and samples have been collected to test for diseases, and all results have come back negative, ensuring their readiness for the journey back home.
This repatriation operation marks the fifth time that orangutans have been sent back to Indonesia, totaling 71 individuals since 2006. In the most recent previous case, two orangutans named Unga-Inga and Natateli were returned to Indonesia on December 17, 2020.
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