Handover of signatures against the orangutan killings
Handing over the signatures to Kalyana Sundram of the MPOC
Mar 7, 2012
At a lobbyist event of the Malaysian palm oil industry that took place in Berlin on March 1st, 2012, we handed over nearly 36.500 signatures of people protesting against the killing of orangutans on palm oil plantations.
At a lobbyist event of the Malaysian palm oil industry that took place in Berlin on March 1st, 2012, we handed over nearly 36.500 signatures of people protesting against the killing of orangutans on palm oil plantations.
Kalyana Sundram who is on the board of the lobby group of the Malaysian palm oil industry (Malaysian Palm Oil Council, MPOC) accepted the signatures. He was impressed by the number of supporters the petition “Tell the palm oil industry: Orangutans are no pests!” that had been started by Rainforest Rescue had gained.
Currently, orangutans can only be found on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. Indonesia is home to 90 per cent of the basic population. The remaining 10 per cent live in the federal territory of Malaysia. Orangutans are critically endangered animals, and that is why they are protected on international levels. Palm oil plantations pose one of the biggest threats to the great apes, since the rainforests are being cleared in order to create monocultures. After losing their natural habitat, the animals wander hungrily across the plantations and eat the palm seedlings – and because of that, many plantation owners see them as pests.
Since his association had influence on Malaysian companies, the MPOC could exert pressure on them, Sundram explained. In the course of our interview, he asserted that the MPOC had introduced a “Zero Tolerance Policy” due to the international protest against the cases of orangutan killings. Sundram promised that the MPOC would make no compromise and would take legal action against those responsible for the acts of violence against the animals.
Rainforest Rescue will take Kalyana Sundram at his word: We will continue to observe the MPOC critically and pursue the association’s policies. We want to thank all the supporters who have signed our petition.