Orangutan Is Now Blind After Cruel Poachers Shot Him 24 Times With Air Rifle

Why are humans so horrible? Orangutans are critically endangered creatures thanks largely to human activities and yet, poachers are still hunting these animals down. This severely diminishes their population and there are not many left in the wild.

Now, in yet another senseless killing by poachers, an innocent male orangutan has been blinded by cruel human beings after they shot at it at least 24 times with an air rifle. According to Jakarta Post, the 25-year-old orangutan is now under the care of the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP).The horrible attack happened in Aceh, Indonesia, where the primate was rescued by Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA). He has since been named Paguh, and the rescuers believed that he was shot by poachers. The vets said that they had a hard time trying to remove all the pellets and shrapnel in his body.

Scans revealed that Paguh had 16 pellets in his head, four in his arms and legs, three in his hip and one in his stomach, which makes it 24 in total. They tried their best to remove all the shrapnel but in the process, they discovered that the shots had damaged his eyesight and he was completely blind. The poor thing! The vets said that they could only remove three pieces of the pellet from his head and had to leave 13 inside as further attempts to remove the shrapnel from his head could serve only to cause further damage. Luckily, Paguh’s condition is now stabilised and he is on the way to recovery. Sadly, he will never get back his eyesight.This is not the first time that this has happened in Indonesia and it is illegal to hurt an orangutan. If convicted, they can be imprisoned for up to five years and fined up to Rp 100 million (RM29,204). Yet, there is not much enforcement done by authorities to ensure that the laws are being kept.

Also read: Orangutan Population in Sabah Has Decreased by 30% Due To Deforestation For Palm Oil Estates