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March 2010

Four WFFT Gibbons Move to Release Site

On March 4th 2010, the first four gibbons moved from the WFFT Wildlife Rescue Center to the "Lum Nam Pai Wildlife Sanctuary" in Maehongson Province, Thailand.

At this Wildlife Sanctuary, a lush and dense jungle in the North of Thailand, a unique project was build by the WFFT in cooperation with the Department of National Parks and Mahidol University. The main objective of this project is to prepare gibbons for a return to the wild, to release them and follow up on their moves and behavior as they face the challenges of the wild once more.

More information and photos of this last step before reintroduction here...

News Archive 2010

News Archive 2009

News Archive

February 2010 -New Malayan Sun Bear Handed Over to WFFT

WFFT - Malayan Sun Bear KamalaOn Tuesday 23rd February, a 3 month old Malayan Sun Bear arrived at the WFFT wildlife hospital. She was handed in by her owner, a farmer, who stated that he had been looking after her for 2 months. The farmer stated that he found her wandering across a road on his farm land, and took her in. Before being taken, she had no doubt been living happily with her mother in the wild in our local Kaeng Krachan national park.

The little bear cub, who has been called Kamala, is very humanised due to being around people for most of her short life. She is in relatively good health, having being fed regularly by the farmer on dogs milk, which is a good substitute for her mother’s milk.

She is currently being looked after by the WFFT vet team, who are nursing her around the clock. Unfortunately, because she has to be hand-reared, Kamala will have to remain at WFFT. In the future though, once she is older, we hope to introduce her to other Malayan Sun Bears who can teach her valuable bear skills. See more photos of this beautiful bear cub here...

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January 2010 - New Year Otter Release

Tuesday the 5th of January was a very special day for one of Thailand’s Large Smooth Coated Otters (Lutrogale perspicillata). He was found swimming in a pool, in a local school in Cha-am, only 40 minutes from our rescue centre. Some thought him to be a captive Otter who had escaped, but due to his aggressive, nervous behaviour we believe he had most likely come from the Petchaburi River, which is not far from where he was found. He was clearly very stressed when he arrived at our centre, but thankfully he only had to spend a few more days in captivity. More information on the release and images here...

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November 2009 - Bua Ngun the City Elephant - Retirement after 65 years

Elephants are originally wild animals; most of us know this I think. But in Thailand over 2,000 individuals are actually captive animals, most of them were born in the wild living with a herd of their own in lush forests, green grass areas with lakes and rivers to bathe in. These wild animals normally live up to 80 years in herds in the wild and have a reasonably happy life as long as they can stay away from their only enemy and predator, humans. This story is about one of the unfortunate elephants from Thailand, for whom the tide has turned this week.
More information and images here...

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August 2009 - Baby Malayan Sun Bear Rescued

On Sunday August the 30th, a 3 month old Malayan Sun Bear arrived at the WFFT wildlife hospital. He had been living a happy existence with his mother in the wild, before being hunted and caught in our local Kaengkrachan national park.

After being captured, his front and back legs were tied together so tightly, that when he arrived he could barely drag himself along the ground. He had severe swelling and inflammation around his ankles and wrist joints, as well as suffering from gastroenteritis and dehydration. His pain was relieved soon after arriving with several injections to help reduce the swelling and make him feel more comfortable.

Amazingly, within a few hours the little cub was on his feet and attempting his first steps since capture. Now, the medical staff take him on several short walks a day, without any difficulty. He's got a strong spirit, and is very alert and interested in the the new world around him. He is being closely monitored by our vet team.

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August 2009 - Forest Restoration, WFFT Planting Season Continues...

WFFT and The Department of National Parks with a dedicated team of volunteers who came to us through ISV, (International Student Volunteers), have planted 1000 trees in Kaeng Krachan National Park. The DNP heard about WFFT successful Forest Restoration Project and invited us to assist with Forest Restoration for the first time. The team of volunteers spent three days planting the trees which were all grown at the WFFT Tree Nursery. This group of volunteers is the third group sent through ISV that have assisted with WFFT Restoration Project.

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July 2009 - Asian Mountain Tortoise Brought into Rescue Centre

An Asian Mountain Tortoise, (Manouria emys), has recently taken up residence at the rescue centre. He was brought to the centre by his misguided capture who had ‘found’ him in the mountains of Petchaburi. The man took the tortoise home to keep as a pet and finally realised that he was unable to provide suitable care for him. The tortoise will spend a short time at the centre to recuperate and then will be released back to the wild.

The Asian Mountain Tortoise is listed by IUCN as an Endangered Species. The thigh scales of this species of tortoise are so pronounced that it is sometimes referred to as the "six-legged" or "six-footed" tortoise. The Asian Mountain Tortoise is believed to be one of the most primitive species of tortoise. The tortoise we have at the centre will spend a short time here to recuperate and then will released back to the wild.

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June 2009 - Sumo 2 - Yet Another Loris!

Another loris was handed into WFFT that was almost the size of a koala! She had been kept as a pet and fed a diet of porridge, cereal and milk and was severely overweight. In the wild, slow loris exist on a diet of mainly fruit, tree gum and nectar but also eat large insects, nestling birds, eggs and lizards. Luckily she has been handed into WFFT and has been started on a proper diet monitored by the vet team. She has been homed in a suitable environment, one of our new enclosures sponsored by Care for the Wild so she can now exercise and become a healthy size, not sumo size!

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June 2009 - A Starved Pet

When people take any animal as a pet they should weigh up the costs that may be involved. Can they afford to feed it, medical bills and housing for the animal… even illegal wildlife! So WFFT were disturbed and horrified when an Assemese Macaque was recently brought into the vet clinic for treatment 2 weeks after she had stopped eating! The owner couldn’t afford treatment at first and then was scared to ask for help because she was in such a terrible condition. By the time he was desperate enough to bring her to our hospital, she looked like an anorexic child. Although the vet team tried hard to save her, it was already too late. She died 24 hours after being admitted. This was a sad and unnecessary death but she is no longer suffering.

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June 2009 - Bush Meat Trade - Palm Civets Rescued

Three Common Palm Civet kittens, (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus), were recently brought into WFFT. Their mother had been clubbed to death by hunters and was then eaten as Bush Meat. One of the kittens was completely paralyzed and sadly had to be euthanized. The other kittens who are named Jimmy and Lou, are getting on very well in one our forest enclosures. Common Palm Civets are often caught and sold in the bush meat trade. They are also pursued by humans, who kill them for damaging orchards and plantations. Its feces are used in coffee made in Indonesia.

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May 2009 - Bears Rescued from Ratchaburi Pig Farm

WFFT was alerted to a case at a pig farm in Ratchaburi, about 1 hour south from Bangkok. Here two bears were being housed in poor and filthy conditions and obviously malnourished. One sun bear and one Asiatic black bear. The owner had bought them originally as pets and was now bored with them. He had invited his staff to slaughter them for food, at which point a concerned neighbour stepped in and “rescued” the bears from the pot by buying them. The new owner was obliged to take the bears away from their current location and had nowhere to look after them. Every government rescue centre has turned them down due to lack of space/resources. However, the bears were already starting to break out of their inadequate cages. Previously a gibbon was housed in the cage next to the black bear, but the black bear found a way in and ate the gibbon.

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May 2009 - Fishing Cats Rescued - Soon to be Released Back into Wild

After receiving a report that a “large cat” had been found and caged near a mangrove forest in Petchaburi, one hour north of the rescue centre, the WFFT rescue team was on the road again. When they arrived they found a male Fishing Cat, (Prionailurus viverrinus), being kept in a very small cage looking extremely thin and in poor condition. After speaking to the “owner” the WFFT established that the wild fishing cat had been captured and kept for 3 months after he had been seen eating livestock from the gentleman’s property. Unfortunately, since his capture, the cat hasn’t been fed correctly which means he is now extremely malnourished and in need of help to improve his health in preparation for his eventual release back to the wild. We expect the fishing cat will need two months to recover before release.

Fishing Cats, of the size of a medium dog, are classified as vulnerable by the IUCN’s red list which is due mainly to habitat loss. Fishing Cats live in marshlands to hunt for their food; fish, small mammals and birds and this land is being over-developed for agriculture whilst rivers are poisoned by industry. They are also hunted for their beautiful olive-grey striped coats and for meat. pictures and video on the Facebook page!

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May 2009 - The Day of Jack the Jackal - Part 2

In June 2008 an Asiatic Golden Jackal, (Canis aureus), Joe was rescued from his life chained up outside a gas station. A new habitat was created for Joe at the end of last year and he has lived there happily ever since. It seemed he was destined to be the only jackal at the rescue centre until 2 weeks ago when Jack arrived. Under cover of darkness, his owner bought him from Bangkok to the rescue centre where he handed him over to Edwin. Jack is only a young pup, approximately 3 months old and already quite aggressive. Jackals are not a domesticated canine and make quite a dangerous pet. The owner obviously realized his mistake and now Jack has a home at WFFT until hopefully both Joe and Jack can find a safe place to be released back to the wild.

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May 2009 - Trio of Rescued Lorises

During April, we’ve continued to see lorises arrive into the rescue centre from many different situations. The first, an adult male, arrived 1 night after being found at the side of the road. While he is under observation he is currently being homed in one of our new loris habitats sponsored by Care for the Wild, awaiting release. The next was a juvenile, approximately 3 months old. Sold as a pet but only kept for a week before the owner decided he didn’t want him any more. He is currently being looked after by Lucy, WFFT's dedicated vet nurse. The final loris to arrive in April was an adult male attacked by a dog and bought to the rescue centre for treatment. When treatment is completed, his suitability for release back to the wild will be assessed.

Currently, lorises are a fashionable pet throughout South East Asia but as a nocturnal animal soon become boring so are dumped at temples, rescue centers or even into the forest where they are unable to care for themselves after being brought up in captivity. Lorises have sharp teeth and an enzyme that can cause blood poisoning so are a dangerous animal to try and keep.

As the situation for lorises in Thailand become even more desperate, WFFT continues to work with our sponsors, Care for the Wild International, to create habitats, education and release programme for another unsuitable, unwanted “primate pet”.

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April 2009 - Four New Primates in April

We’ve made it into May with a continuous intake of new primates into the rescue centre proving that far from slowing down; the problem of monkeys and gibbons being taken from the wild is still ongoing.

Nana, a black white-handed gibbon, arrived at the rescue centre at the beginning of April after being a pet for almost 20 years. When her owners didn’t want her anymore they dumped her at a temple and the monks bought her into the rescue centre where she is now living in a new enclosure in quarantine.

Just a few days later we got another phone call from a concerned citizen who had seen a baby gibbon for sale in Kanchanaburi. April, a blonde, 5 month old, white-handed gibbon was not for sale to become a pet, she was actually for sale to become bush-meat...someone was going to eat her! The couple who found her were unable to allow this to happen and bought her to prevent it. Although April certainly thanks them for saving her life, this unfortunately does not help stop the trade in gibbons...money has changed hands and the dealer doesn’t care why or how he has made that money. However, April is now very happy here and has a friend in Pang Pon who arrived at WFFT earlier in the year.

We thought that was it for the gibbons but no, one more was destined to arrive. Tengkwa, a 2-3 year old brown white-handed gibbon, had been kept in a tiny cage as a pet in Hua Hin. She came to WFFT’s attention 6 months ago due to a complaint from a neighbor who could see she was in a terrible condition. We established contact immediately and tried to encourage the owner to hand her over to WFFT but she was unwilling. However, our vet team treated the terrible skin condition Tengkwa had developed and continued to work with the owner to try and convince her that WFFT could offer her a better life. The owner didn’t agree so WFFT logged a complaint to the police and whilst waiting for Tengkwa to be confiscated, the owner was finally ordered to hand over the gibbon and as further treatment was found necessary she was handed over to the WFFT medical help. Tengkwa’s medical condition has improved enormously and after she has gone through her quarantine period, she can be introduced to other juvenile gibbons at the rescue centre.

The final arrival was not a gibbon but another arboreal primate. This time a dusky Langur or leaf-monkey, approximately 4-5 months old arrived. Samui, (named after the island he was rescued from), had been seen by a lady who felt sorry for him due to the tiny cage he was confined in. She wanted to help him so she bought him from the owner and contacted WFFT to see if we could provide him a better home. Our partners in Chumphon went to collect Samui and bought him back to the rescue centre where we discovered again that another primate had developed a bad skin complaint, probably due to stress and poor diet. He was started on a course of treatment immediately and just over a week later we can already see improvements in his condition. The likelihood is Samui was a photographers prop in Ko Samui before he was rescued, where tourists paid to have their picture taken with a cute baby monkey. Langurs are extremely sensitive and stress and poor diet can easily kill these vulnerable primates. Samui has survived so far and is now given round the clock care by the dedicated WFFT staff. He has an amazing spirit and hopefully this will help pull him through the next few months, ready for when he can meet the other rescued & abandoned Langurs that have found a home at WFFT.

WFFT were able to build a new enclosure in quarantine where Nana now lives via the Primates Appeal on Facebook. However, more primates need our help. Please help if you can, by donating and forwarding this appeal to others. Donation online via Paypal is possible using this link: http://www.wfft.org/donate.html. If you prefer to donate via bank transfer, please write to us at info@wfft.org and we will provide you the details.

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March 2009 - High Influx of Primates in First Quarter of 2009

When people take any animal as a pet they should weigh up the costs that may be involved. Can they afford to feed it, medical bills and housing for the animal… even illegal wildlife! So WFFT were disturbed and horrified when an Assemese Macaque was recently brought into the vet clinic for treatment 2 weeks after she had stopped eating! The owner couldn’t afford treatment at first and then was scared to ask for help because she was in such a terrible condition. By the time he was desperate enough to bring her to our hospital, she looked like an anorexic child. Although the vet team tried hard to save her, it was already too late. She died 24 hours after being admitted. This was a sad and unnecessary death but she is no longer suffering.

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February 2009 - 11 More Orangutans Confiscated After WFFT Investigation & Complaint

When people take any animal as a pet they should weigh up the costs that may be involved. Can they afford to feed it, medical bills and housing for the animal… even illegal wildlife! So WFFT were disturbed and horrified when an Assemese Macaque was recently brought into the vet clinic for treatment 2 weeks after she had stopped eating! The owner couldn’t afford treatment at first and then was scared to ask for help because she was in such a terrible condition. By the time he was desperate enough to bring her to our hospital, she looked like an anorexic child. Although the vet team tried hard to save her, it was already too late. She died 24 hours after being admitted. This was a sad and unnecessary death but she is no longer suffering.

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January 2009 - Tiger Mauls New Zealand Tourist in Thailand

When people take any animal as a pet they should weigh up the costs that may be involved. Can they afford to feed it, medical bills and housing for the animal… even illegal wildlife! So WFFT were disturbed and horrified when an Assemese Macaque was recently brought into the vet clinic for treatment 2 weeks after she had stopped eating! The owner couldn’t afford treatment at first and then was scared to ask for help because she was in such a terrible condition. By the time he was desperate enough to bring her to our hospital, she looked like an anorexic child. Although the vet team tried hard to save her, it was already too late. She died 24 hours after being admitted. This was a sad and unnecessary death but she is no longer suffering.

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January 2009 - Fast Start to 2009

When people take any animal as a pet they should weigh up the costs that may be involved. Can they afford to feed it, medical bills and housing for the animal… even illegal wildlife! So WFFT were disturbed and horrified when an Assemese Macaque was recently brought into the vet clinic for treatment 2 weeks after she had stopped eating! The owner couldn’t afford treatment at first and then was scared to ask for help because she was in such a terrible condition. By the time he was desperate enough to bring her to our hospital, she looked like an anorexic child. Although the vet team tried hard to save her, it was already too late. She died 24 hours after being admitted. This was a sad and unnecessary death but she is no longer suffering.

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January 2009 - Farewell 2008, Hello 2009

When people take any animal as a pet they should weigh up the costs that may be involved. Can they afford to feed it, medical bills and housing for the animal… even illegal wildlife! So WFFT were disturbed and horrified when an Assemese Macaque was recently brought into the vet clinic for treatment 2 weeks after she had stopped eating! The owner couldn’t afford treatment at first and then was scared to ask for help because she was in such a terrible condition. By the time he was desperate enough to bring her to our hospital, she looked like an anorexic child. Although the vet team tried hard to save her, it was already too late. She died 24 hours after being admitted. This was a sad and unnecessary death but she is no longer suffering.

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Slow Loris Malayan Sun Bear' Salt Water Crocodile ong Tail Macaques