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On the 20^th of December we embarked on a large rescue operation involving 3 Malayan sun bears, 7 macaques (long tailed and pig tailed) and a porcupine. All of the animals were being kept in very unsatisfactory conditions at Wat Kaosukim, a temple in Chantaburi province. All had all been abandoned at the temple over the last few years for the monks to take care of and although the monks did the best they could, they did not have the facilities or the knowledge to care for them. The bears were being kept in a concrete pit with no enrichments and were often fighting, probably through boredom. The macaques were all in small, dirty cages, again with no enrichments and all separated from each other. Towards the end of last year the abbot of the temple asked for our help in rehoming the animals after seeing a programme about the rescue centre on TV. After making all the necessary preparations, including building new specially designed moving cages to transport the bears, we were finally ready for the rescue. Despite the large number of animals involved, the rescue operation went very smoothly although it took some time to capture every animal and load them all onto the rescue vehicles. Here at the centre the animals are now all settling into their new home and a number are being treated for various medical conditions. We have successfully put most of the macaques into groups and they are enjoying each other’s company after being kept alone for so long. The bears have been busy exploring their enclosure and seem much more relaxed in each other’s company in their new spacious home.

November 2004 Two more gibbons have taken up residence at the centre this month. Cola, a white-handed gibbon, was being kept in a small cage by the side of a busy highway and had been there for over 11 years. After receiving emails from local people concerned about his welfare we visited his owner to discuss Cola’s future. The owner agreed that it was in his best interests for Cola to move to the centre and live with other gibbons. Cola is now undergoing his time in quarantine after which he will be moved next to other gibbons. He is very curious about his new surroundings, a long way from that lonely life by the busy highway.

We recently received a phone call from a local villager who had had a pet white handed gibbon called Joemjim for 20 years. After seeing a programme featuring the rescue centre on local TV programme decided that she wanted Joemjim to live out the rest of the days at the centre with other gibbons. Joemjim is settling in well and in time we hope to introduce her to some of the younger gibbons at the centre. As she is fairly old with a deformed leg and is very tame we feel this will be the best option for her.

October 2004 We recently welcomed a film crew to the centre for a 3 week shoot to make a documentary about our work in Thailand, focusing mainly on the plight of Malayan sun bears. The programme will be  entitled “Battling for the Bears” and will be shown as one of the episodes in the  “Animal Lifeline” series, probably broadcast next March. As part of the show, we received generous donation which enabled us to build a large new bear enclosure which enabled us to rescue and rehome Oumpoom and Apec. 

From the 4^th until the 14^th of October, Thailand played host to the 13^th Conference of Parties of CITES. On the weekend of the 9^th and 10^th the Wildlife Friends Rescue Centre was very pleased to welcome a number of guests including representatives of several international NGOs to the rescue centre and for a visit. Conservationists, environmentalists and animal welfare campaigners were brought together for a relaxing and informal weekend. On the Saturday a number of people took a trip with us to the local National Park to view wildlife which provided everyone with a much needed break from Bangkok. In the afternoon time was spent at the centre and in the evening a large informal dinner was held. .It was a great opportunity for everyone to chat and exchange information and ideas about conservation and animal-related issues which all of us here at the rescue centre thoroughly enjoyed. More....

The CITES conference provided an excellent opportunity to raise international awareness about the plight of the large number of orangutans that are being held illegally all over Thailand. On the first day of the conference, the 2nd of October, the Wildlife Friends of Thailand and the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation, together with ProFauna Indonesia and the Thai Animal Guardian Association held a road show in Bangkok. A truck with people dressed in orangutan costumes in a boxing ring which displayed the message “we want to go home!” was driven through the city streets and received a lot of attention. Upon arrival at the Queen Sirikit Convention Centre the truck was greeted by a large group of journalists who had gathered. Dr. Willie Smits of BOS and Edwin Wiek gave several interviews about the orangutans and the story received substantial media coverage both nationally and worldwide.

On the 12^th of October a press conference was held at lunchtime in the convention centre. This was  very well attended by both CITES delegates and the press. Speakers included Edwin Wiek, the Thai representative of BOS (Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation), Ian Redmond of GRASP (the Great Ape Survival Project), Shirley McGreal of IPPL (International Primate Protection League) and Hardy of ProFauna Indonesia. We were also honoured to have Mr. Widodo Ramono, Director of Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry, speaking on behalf of the Indonesian government.

Following the press conference a letter requesting the Thai government to cooperate in returning the orangutans to Indonesia was signed on behalf of 47 international NGOs and has since been presented to Mr. Suwit Kunkitti, the Thai minister for Natural resource, by Edwin Wiek.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our speakers for their great support. More...

September 2004  This month saw the completion of our latest gibbon enclosure-our tallest and biggest gibbon enclosure to date! The 11 metre high enclosure contains large trees to offer the gibbons as natural an environment as possible as well as numerous enrichments and covered sleeping places. Arnold, Mack, Gilbert and Long have all settled in well to their new spacious home and enjoy swinging between the branches. This enclosure will set the standard for future enclosures and we aim to build more such enclosures for our other primate residents in the future. A generous donation from Dr. Willie Smits on behalf of the Gibbon Foundation made construction of this cage possible, and we are very grateful for their support. 

More on the enclosure here!

September 2004  October the 2^nd sees that start of the 13^th  CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) Conference of Parties to be held in Bangkok. Over 5,000 delegates from 166 countries will attend to discuss the status of some of the world’s most endangered wildlife and to propose measures to regulate the international wildlife trade. Edwin Wiek will be attending the conference as part of the Indonesian delegation due to his role as Thailand representative of the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation. He is very grateful to the Indonesian authorities for inviting him to be part of their delegation.During CITES the Wildlife Friends of Thailand, in cooperation with several other conservation and animal welfare NGOS,  have decided that the conference will provide an ideal opportunity to raise awareness about the immense problems of the illegal wildlife trade in Thailand and throughout Asia among all those delegates attending. On the first day of the conference there will be a day of action and awareness-raising in Bangkok organized by the Wildlife Friends of Thailand and the Thai Animal Guardians Association along with representatives from ProFauna Indonesia, BOS and the Gibbon Foundation. The case of the illegally imported orangutans and raising awareness about this issue will be the main focus of the action, along with highlighting the wider issue of the illegal wildlife trade and other examples whereby countries that are signatories to CITES have gone against the guidelines set out by the convention and continued to illegally import and export protected species.

Python Rescue

August 2004 For the past couple of years the Wildlife Friends have been supporting a small sanctuary for rescued wild animals in Ranong in the south of Thailand. The sanctuary was operated by a school teacher who was running the centre with no outside help and has for a long time been facing severe financial and practical problems. He has decided to close the sanctuary and let all the mammals and many of the birds go to new homes and the Wildlife Friends have helped to find new homes for all 300 animals. Most of the birds will go to a specialist sanctuary and breeding centre for birds where many will become part of breeding programmes. The mammals will all move to the Wildlife Friends Rescue centre. The rehoming operation has already started with the first animals, two mouse deer and two small clawed otters, recently arriving at Kao Look Chang. Ollie, the center's resident smooth coated otter is delighted with his new friends!!

August 2004 Bouncer the young Asiatic black bear who was rescued in July is now living happily with Pinda and Pepper the two Malayan sun bear cubs. He has grown a lot more at ease with his new surroundings and seems to be enjoying the company of his cage mates. His wound has healed up completely and he is moving around with ease on his three remaining legs.

 August 2004 One afternoon we received a phone call from a very worried monk concerning a python that had taken up residence at a temple in Cha am and developed a taste for the temple dogs. Not wanting to hurt the python, but concerned for their safety, they decided to call us to remove the snake and relocate it to somewhere away from people. Upon arrival at the temple we found the large python hiding in some rocks and a crowd of very excited monks! After nearly an hour of trying the four metre long python was finally pulled out of his hiding place and safely placed in a moving cage. We immediately drove to the forest at Pala-U where the python was released into the forest for a new life in a natural habitat away from human settlement.

Click here for some pics!

Hornbills Move to New Home

New Bear Enclosure

Laurie the loris spotted!

August 2004 Two young wreathed hornbills that were taken in a few months ago in terrible physical condition and suffering from severe malnutrition have been successfully nursed back to health and have now moved to a specialist centre for birds. Here they now live in a spacious aviary along with Billy, another wreathed hornbill who was rescued and hand-reared by us here at the centre. A third hornbill will need to stay with us a bit longer as he is still receiving medical treatment. As soon as he is completely healthy he will join the others at the other centre.

August 2004 We have recently begun working on a new 2000 square metre enclosure for bears to enable us to rescue more bears in the future. This has been made possible due to a generous donation from a well known international television production company who are coming to film a documentary about the rescue centre shortly. The documentary will highlight the need for wildlife rescue centers and raise awareness of animal welfare issues.

On the evening of the 29th of June a young Asiatic Black bear in desperate need of help was brought to the center. The bear had horrific injuries to one of its front leg which was severely infected and the man who brought him explained that he had found the bear caught in a snare in the forest. The sight and stench of the leg was unbelievable as it was so rotten. By the state of the leg it looked like he had been caught in the trap for at least 4 or 5 days.  The bear was very frightened and obviously very wild. Click here for MORE (Please be advised that there are shocking pictures.)

May/June Last month a pangolin was brought to us by a local man who had found it for sale at a market. The pangolin was an adult and appeared healthy so we decided to release him and obtained permission to do this in Kaeng Krachan National Park. We released him next to a river, and after a few moments hesitation he scurried away into the undergrowth. In June another pangolin was brought to us, this time a very young female.  Her mother had been killed by children and a man rescued the baby and brought her here. We feel she is too young to be released yet so we are keeping a very close eye on her and taking her for regular foraging sessions in the trees where she is learning to eat ants.   The trade in pangolins for meat is a widespread problem in Thailand with many being taken out of the forest to supply restaurants. Many hundreds of pangolins at a time are transported alive to other countries crammed into trucks and then end up as “bush meat”. 

June 2004 After receiving several complaints from tourists about 2 baby monkeys being kept in a cage at a bar in the middle of Bangkok, the Wildlife Friends went to investigate. We discovered 2 very young long tailed macaques at the bar, both very scared and clinging to each other for comfort.  After we talked to the owner he decided the best thing for the monkeys would be to go to a rescue center and he handed them over to us.  They are settling into life at the center and will join some other young macaques in a few weeks time. 

June 2004 A very generous donation of 100,000 Baht has recently been made to the center by Diane Krieger, on behalf of her brother David S. Krieger A.K.A. Donald Navey (1950-2003) who lived in Thailand for twenty years and had a great passion for the protection and humane treatment of Thailand’s animals and preservation of it’s wild places.  Diane says “may his efforts on behalf of wildlife be realized through the work of this rescue center”. This gift will be used to construct a new bear enclosure which will enable us help more bears in the future. More news soon....

June 2004 We received a phone call from a farmer who had discovered 3 baby common palm civets still in their nest whilst clearing a field. The mother probably abandoned them when the farmers moved into the field and without help they would have died as they were still so young. Thankfully the farmer took them to his house and looked after them then called us to ask if we would take them in at the rescue center. They are all doing well and after their quarantine period they will move to one of the new civet enclosures.  

June 2004 Pom, the Malayan sun bear who has been hand-reared at the center from a tiny cub, has recently been introduced to the rest of the group and learning how to live as a bear!  After a few weeks living in an indoor enclosure next to the other bears the time came when we felt she was ready to meet the others properly.  The introduction was a success and all the bears were very interested in their new addition to the group, while Pom was eager to explore her new surroundings in the big outdoor enclosure. Before long she was swimming happily in the big pool and busy climbing the trees.

June 2004   Another very young Malayan sun bear cub, whom we have named Pepper, was recently brought to a center- yet another victim of the illegal wildlife trade. Like the other young bears here, she was most probably taken from her mother from the forest and destined to end up on someone’s dinner table and her body parts used in traditional Chinese medicines. Luckily Pepper was brought here by a policeman and is being hand-reared.  We let her socialize with Pinda, another cub at the center, as much as possible so that she gets used to being around bears from a young age.  In time she will join the other bears in their big enclosure.

May 2004 A young Malayan sun bear aged about one month old was recently brought into the center. She has been named Pinda and is being hand-reared and growing well. She spends some time each day with Pom, the other young bear, although she is not yet young enough to be left alone with her. This brings the number of Malayan sun bears at the center to seven, with many more sun bears and also Asiatic black bears on the waiting list to be rescued. We urgently need funds to finance the construction a large new bear enclosure so that we can take in these animals and rescue them all from their current miserable existences.

May 2004 The month of May has seen the arrival of more animals at the center, including a female stump tailed macaque and a male long tailed macaque. Both were temporarily being taken care of by TAGA in Bangkok before being handed over to the Wildlife Friends. The macaques had been refused help by other (wild) animal rescue centers and animal welfare organizations; however as the policy of the Wildlife Friends is to help any animal in need we were glad to offer them a new home.

May 2004 Another adult elephant has recently arrived at the EREC to start a new life far from the city streets where she was working as a begging elephant. Nong Bo, a 28 year old female, was walking the city streets of Korat every night to try to make a living. Now she had joined the other 3 elephants here at the EREC and is settling in well to her new natural surroundings. She is a very lively and playful elephant, always trying to get the other older ones to play, although she can be a bit naughty at times. She has now worked out which truck brings the food and even tries to jump on every time it drives past!

May 2004 On the 10th of May a convicted wildlife trader was found with the severed corpse of a tiger in the back of a car in Sakhon Nakorn province, Thailand. The tiger was being smuggled onto Vietnam then China, where its parts would no doubt end up being used in the production of traditional Chinese medicine. This man was arrested only 5 months earlier operating an illegal wildlife slaughterhouse, and was on bail.

More on this soon.

May 2004 A cardboard box containing three juvenile wreathed hornbills was recently left at the center, probably abandoned by wildlife traders not wanting to be caught with their illegal “goods”.  They are now undergoing their period in quarantine at the rescue center. As the animals are still young and in a group it may hopefully be possible to release them back to the wild in a National Park in the future through a monitored release programme.

March the 17^th was a turning point in the lives of eleven macaques being kept at a temple in Bangkok. The long-tailed and pig-tailed macaques, of mixed ages, were all being kept in horrific conditions. All were confined in small, rusty cages that were one meter deep in rubbish that was crawling with ants; they had obviously not been cleaned for months if not years. The macaques had no proper sleeping places or places to rest and were forced to balance on thin pieces of bamboo or else lie on the litter. Several of the macaques have health problems due to malnutrition and skin infections from living in such a filthy environment. All are now being taken care of in the quarantine area at the rescue center and seem pleased with their new homes, especially their individual sleeping baskets! The younger ones are enjoying being able to run around the floor of the cages and swimming in their water pools.   

April 2004 Mack and Arnold the white-handed gibbons are two recent arrivals, bringing the number of rescued gibbons at the center to over 30. Both were unwanted pets from Bangkok that have grown too big for their owners to handle. Mack was in danger of being shot as he had already bitten a few people so we had to rescue him as a matter of urgency. Both are overweight due to poor diet and lack of room to exercise in the small cages they were being kept in, but with the well balanced diet they are now receiving and with much more space to move around in their new enclosures they will soon become much healthier.  After their period in quarantine they will both move to enclosures next to other gibbons where they will be given the chance to resocialize and learn how to behave like gibbons, not pets.

More about the orangutans here

Early in April one of the Royal Projects handed over two young stump tailed macaques for the Wildlife Friends to take care of. Both had previously been bought as pets and had been given over to the Royal Project by their owners who no longer wanted them. The older of the two will shortly be introduced one of our resident groups of stump tailed macaques after his quarantine period. The younger one, whom we estimate to be only a few weeks old and is very small for his age, is being hand reared and he too will join the others once he is old enough.

April 2004 Pom, the Malayan sun bear cub who arrived at the center in January, is continuing to thrive and growing into a strong and healthy young bear. She now goes for long walks around the center’s grounds and loves to explore the world around her. She has started climbing trees and recently enjoyed her first swim in the lake!

Our thanks go to the Animals Asia Foundation who kindly donated special milk formula for Pom.

March 2004 A generous donation by Barry and Tony from England, two supporters of the Wildlife Friends, has enabled us to build an indoor extension to Meow's enclosure. His new “house” means that he can get completely out of the sun and in the rainy season he has proper shelter from the rain. He is spending a lot of time in his new quarters and is enjoying being able to lie on the cool cement in the height of the hot season.   

Bear cub rescued from poachers

However we need urgent funds to help animals on our waiting list in early 2004!

Due to the continued generosity of volunteers and other sponsors and donators in 2003 we were able to many new undertake many developments at the rescue center, build many new enclosures and facilities and extend our help to more animals in need. In total over 60 animals found a new permanent home at the rescue center over the course of the year whilst at least 40 other animals have been rescued and then either released or moved onto new suitable homes at Forestry Department centers. The on-site quarantine center, sponsored by Stichting AAP, has proved invaluable and has at all times been fully occupied with new arrivals since it’s construction.

As well as many gibbons, macaques, lorises and civets last year we were able to extend our rescue efforts to bears and over the year rescued and re-homed a total of 5 Malayan sun bears.

However, due to all these rescues the facilities at the rescue center are currently almost stretched to the limit and we urgently need funds to build much needed new enclosures. There is currently a very long list of animals awaiting our help, including bears and tigers as well as gibbons and numerous macaques, and as soon as we have more space we can offer them a safe and permanent home at the rescue center.      Please help us to help them.

After hearing reports of a large group of monkeys living wild on the outskirts of Bangkok that were possibly of a species not native to Thailand, Edwin Wiek was asked to help investigate by the Forestry Police Department. After seeing photographs and then the monkeys themselves Edwin identified them as grivets (also known as green monkeys or vervets), a species native to Africa. As the group is living in close proximity to Safari World Zoo it is widely believed that the population originated from a few animals being carelessly released from the establishment a few years ago. This large group numbering some 40 individuals has become a real pest to the local human population, stealing food and attacking people. More importantly, as the presence of such an alien species is very damaging from an ecological and environmental point of view

it is clear that this group must be removed from the wild and found a new home. 

The Wildlife Friends have offered to assist with the capture and relocation of these monkeys and at the rescue center will provide the location for the construction of a large enclosure to house them where they can live out the rest of their natural lives.

However we by no means have the funds to undertake such an operation without financial assistance and are currently seeking outside help.

In Thailand it is common for temples to becoming “dumping grounds” for unwanted domesticated wild animals. The temples usually do not have the resources or knowledge to provide adequate care for such animals that often end up being kept in very small cages or tied to chains and fed a bad diet.

We recently became aware of the terrible situation at a certain temple in Bangkok where there are currently ten macaques of various species being held in appalling conditions awaiting rescue. We desperately want to help these poor animals as soon as possible but currently have nowhere to house them. As soon as we raise enough funds to build a new enclosure we will do so as a matter of urgency and move these animals to the rescue center.

Undercover investigations and rescue on Koh Samui

At Christmas the Wildlife Friends undertook a large rescue operation at a temple where several wild animals had been abandoned and were living in very unsatisfactory conditions. Nine pythons were being held in overcrowded pits, eight of which were released into the wild after undergoing health  checks. The other one had serious injuries and is currently recovering at the rescue center before being released. The female macaque and the civet are now residing at the rescue center and receiving carefully balanced diets after several years of malnutrition.

In December an undercover team from the Wildlife Friends spent a few days on the island of Koh Samui to investigate the numbers and species of wild animals being held at various tourist attractions. The findings were then forwarded to the relevant authorities who could then assess whether any animals had not been registered and were therefore being illegally held.

Whilst on the island the team heard reports of some primates being kept in the back garden of a private house. Upon investigation they discovered two agile gibbons, a dusky langur and a pig-tailed macaque all being kept as pets. Although all in good health, a back garden is obviously not a suitable home for any wild animal.

 After a few phone calls it was discovered that the owner wanted to give the animals up and gave us permission to relocate them all to the rescue center.

The two agile gibbons, Suklee and Mimi, are now living happily on an island. Agile gibbons are a very rare species in Thailand and there are only 4 other individuals in captivity in the country. Their presence at the center will serve to educate people about such endangered species.

The langur, Lunar, and Loso the macaque are now both living in groups with others of their own kind after years of isolation, chained to trees.

Rescue Gibbon Tata

Jan 2003 In recent weeks we have had an influx of macaques rescued from terrible lives in Bangkok. Two of these animals have particularly horrific stories. Ruby the long-tailed macaque was found tied up at a rubbish dump, having to scavenge through piles of dirt for any scraps of food she could find. Covered in dirt and waste she was in a very sorry state upon arrival at the rescue center. Despite suffering from severe dental problems which will require careful monitoring Ruby is now happy and relaxed and living in a group with other female long tailed macaques and absolutely loves her food after years of deprivation. Smokey, a male pig-tailed macaque was found in a similar situation in the middle of Bangkok, tied up next to a burning site for rubbish. When we found him he was almost unrecognizable as a pig tailed macaque as his fur was completely black from the smoke and soot. He is now doing well and looking much healthier and will shortly be introduced to other macaques once his time in quarantine is over.

Dec 2003 The newly established Elephant Refuge and Educational Center has recently taken in 2 more elephants, a bull and a cow, rescued from the streets of Bangkok. Both seem to be enjoying their new more peaceful life and their time foraging for food on the mountains surrounding the center. It is hoped that in the near future the EREC, as it develops and grows, can provide safe sanctuary for more elephants in need.

Dec 2003 Tata, a female white-handed gibbon was being kept as a pet before being handed over to TAGA, a Bangkok-based animal welfare organization. As the organization does not have the facilities to look after primates the Wildlife Friends offer to take any gibbons or macaques that end up with TAGA and house them at the rescue center. After completing her quarantine period Tata is now living in an enclosure next door to Pepsi Max, a long-standing resident bachelor gibbon. The two seem very interested in one another, frequently sitting as close as possible to one another and grooming each other through the bars. It is hoped a successful full introduction will follow shortly and that Pepsi Max will at long last find his ideal mate!

Besides these complaints we also received some reports that different people wanted to give up their "pet" gibbons as they said they could not handle them anymore, some people wanted to give up their animal as they were afraid to face prosecution. Thai newspapers are full of stories about the crackdown on the  illegal wildlife trade.

Find the story on four different gibbons from Bangkok, Ranong and Minburi that were taken in over the month of November! More here!

In November 2003 we have received 3 macaques from various locations. One (long tail) macaques has been awaiting rescue in a slum in Bangkok for over a year. we were only informed on the 4th of November about her faith and went in the same day to rescue her. Namfon, as she is called was living on a garbage dump for over 8 years and is now gaining strength at the quarantine center. A (pig tail) macaque was rescued from a farm and another long tail macaque was brought by the T.A.G.A of Roger Lohanand as it was given up by its owner in Bangkok. All animals are currently at the quarantine center. New cages have to be built to move them after the 8 weeks in quarantine. Please help us help them!

The past few weeks have seen a widespread crackdown on the illegal wildlife trade in Thailand and enforcement of existing wildlife protection laws. Raids at various locations by both the Forestry police and the National Parks Department have resulted in the confiscation of many illegally held wild animals and led to the arrests of many individuals involved in the illegal wildlife trade. There have also been large quantities of animal skins, medicines and other products made from wild animal parts seized in raids.

The Wildlife Friends have cooperated with the authorities in this crackdown and offered our full support. As the Forestry Department centers are already overcrowded with confiscated animals we have offered to take in as many animals that we can. We expect that in the coming months we will have many animals given up to the center by people who have not registered them and do not want to face prosecution.

See story in the Bangkok post 07 Nov 2003

When will the trade in pet monkeys and gibbons finally stop?

May-Aug 2003 Over the last few months we have released a number of lorises back to nature. Many of these little primates were brought in from illegal markets like the Bangkok Weekend market (Chatuchak) were the wildlife trade seems still to be flourishing. However many "new" owners give up their animal after they find them hard to take care of or aggressive in behavior. Our loris enclosures have been constructed around large trees in the forest where the animals learn to take care of themselves again. We only release the slow loris however, as the pygmy loris is not a local species.

For more information visit our E.R.E.C. site here!

July 20th 2003 After several complaints from tourists who had witnessed the plight of these bears on Koh Samui we went  soon as possible to check on the situation. When we found the bears we were horrified by the condition they were in. Both were chained on to a one meter short chain, without any access to drinking water. The animals were used by both Asian and European tourists as photo props, which stressed the younger bear a lot as she was very sick and full of painful infections and failing eyesight. The infections on the smallest bear (that we have named "Peanuts") have resulted in her face being swollen to over twice the size it should be and she has trouble breathing and eating and cannot even close her mouth. Direct medical attention was administered on the spot More about the bears here!

July 2003 We have received several reports from concerned tourists about the plight of two young Malayan sun bears being held captive at an elephant camp on Koh Samui. These young bears are being kept on small chains tied to a platform for 24 hours a day with no freedom to move as a “tourist attraction”. Both bears reportedly have problems with their movement, almost certainly due to lack of exercise and malnutrition. We are currently discussing this matter with the Forestry Department and have offered them our full support in assisting with the rescue of these bears. We will shortly be visiting Koh Samui to investigate the situation first-hand and to offer emergency medical help to the bears.

On July the 3^rd we discovered that Liz, a gibbon living semi-wild on the Jungle Island, has become a mother for the second time. Both mother and baby are doing well and Chao Kloei is playing the role of protective father.

Added August 2003 MOVIE FILE!

July 2003 After reading reports of some macaques and other animals being kept in terrible conditions at a temple in Pattaya, we decided to go and investigate and offer the animals a new life at our rescue center.  We were appalled to find two rhesus macaques, two young pig-tailed macaques, porcupines and many birds being kept prisoner in tiny cages, all full of litter, old food and excrement. The two rhesus macaques were kept in isolation from each other; we can only imagine the mental anguish this must cause to such sociable animals.  Unfortunately the abbot was unwilling to give the animals up, but we will persevere and do everything in our power to rescue these animals from their miserable lives and end their suffering.

Whilst in Pattaya we took the opportunity to investigate other cases of animal exploitation and abuse in the area.  Unfortunately we discovered that animal exploitation for the tourism industry is rife and saw numerous elephant camps and venues offering monkey and snake shows. In the evening we witnessed baby gibbons and macaques being paraded along the beachfront as photo props. The Wildlife Friends will keep campaigning to end such animal exploitation and educate tourists not to encourage such cruel practices.

July 2003  July saw the arrival of two very young pig-tailed macaques to the center, both only a couple of months old. Sundae, the first to arrive, was bought at Chatuchak market in Bangkok by some people who felt sorry for her. They immediately brought her to the center as they had heard about our work and felt this was the best place for her. As macaques are such sociable animals we felt it was best to introduce Sundae to our large resident macaque group as soon as possible. As soon as we were sure she was healthy Sundae joined the group and was immediately “adopted” by one of the young females. She is now enjoying a lot of attention from her new family.  Mung, the other baby, came from a Forestry rescue center. As they have so many animals in their care they did not have the time to care for her so we offered our help. Mung has suffered from severe infections to her hands and feet and is still receiving treatment. Once healthy, she too will be introduced to the group and have Sundae as her new playmate.

April 2003 In April a 3-year-old Malaysian sun bear was taken from her sad existence on the end of a 1-metre chain at a resort and brought to the rescue center. Pooh, as we have named her, was introduced to Phimai the bear cub and both are now thriving in each other’s company, spending most of the day playing together. They are currently housed in one of the cages at the center until we can raise the necessary funds to build a large purpose-built open enclosure for bears, which will also enable us to offer sanctuary for many other bears in need of help. 

A leopard cat was also rescued from the same resort where it was being kept in a very small cage. After a few weeks at the center being fed good food he was released into Kaeng Krachan National Park.

April 2003 At a troubled temple, Wat Koo in Bangkok, wild animals were kept over the last years such as a bear, several species of deer and a macaque. Due to complaints from local people about the well-being of these animals the authorities have confiscated all animals and they have been moved to a wildlife breeding center. The macaque however is going blind due to cataracts and needs a lot of care in the future. For that reason he has been picked up by volunteers of WFFT and is now at the wildlife rescue center at Kao Lookchang. 

April 2003 The four generously donated enclosures by WSPA are ready. After a month of hard work in sometimes unbearable heat staff and volunteers of WFFT have finished the complete project within the set time. 

The enclosure measures a total of 14x8x6 meters and can house up to 8 gibbons who need to be taken of the islands in the case of low water due to the drought. See the great enclosure!

Two loris enclosures have been built as well lately, where these beautiful nocturnal primates can roam around trees. click here for more.  

Thank you to WSPA for making it possible for us to relocate the Bangkok animals as soon as we could!

We are horrified about the idea that one day it might be legal and apparently acceptable that the consumption of monkeys will become trendy once again

The government has proposed to legalize the  commercial breeding  of 55 species including pigtail and long tail macaques. 

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January 2003 Our first rescue of the new year was Mel. We have been trying to rescue Mel from his very small enclosure for almost 6 months. Finally on the 8th of January it was time for Mel to go to a big cage and see some other gibbons! Mel has been in the cage of 4 cubic meters for almost 7 years, and has been exploring his new enclosure at the center for a few days now. He lives next to Pepsi-Max, both showing a lot of interest in each other. 

December 2002 A pigtail macaque we called Betty was given up by her owner early December. This macaque has spend the last 13 years at her own in a small roadside shop and was very stressed when we picked her up. She is now after two weeks together with Lola, another younger macaque and is getting used to the spacious enclosure and her new friends. She will join the big group early next year if all goes well.

December 2002 a massive new enclosure for the group of macaques at the center is being constructed at this moment and should be ready by the end of December. This enclosure measures 24x8 meters and is 6 meters high. The cage is build around two big mango trees and will have lots of  enrichments to make the life of the monkeys more pleasurable. Happy new year Friday, Kijke, Chavalit, Saonoi and the rest of the gang! More

October 2002 The Wild Animal Rescue and Educational Center in Ranong was visited by Edwin Wiek and volunteers. At arrival they found a huge amount of animals in direct need of help. Civets, binturongs and many exotic birds needed medical attention and clean enclosures. They decided after talking with the local caretaker to move the animals most in need immediately to the WFT Center. The Ranong center will be closed soon, after a new home for all animals has been found. WFT is currently helping out the 300+ animals at the center.