News from the Indonesia

iLCP Associate Fellow Paul Hilton has published two new articles on conservation efforts in Indonesia.

His first article, Sumatra’s Orang-utans: Chocolate’s Road to Freedom, follows the story of Chocolate and his journey from captivity with traders to his eventual release back into the wild.

–“We arrive at the release site and head straight over to see Chocolate who has been in a holding cage for two weeks now, and is fully recovered from the arduous overland trek to get here. I couldn’t believe how confident he had become.”

Chocolate the critically endangered Sumatran orangutan is release after 4 years in rehabilitation. Photo: Paul Hilton for WildLife Asia

Paul’s second article, Sumatran Tigers, Close to Extinction, describes the wildlife trade and trafficking in the Leuser ecosystem.

–“Conservationists put the number of Sumatran tigers in the wild at around 300. It’s a devastating statistic, particularly given that Indonesia has already lost the Bali and Javan tiger which were both hunted to extinction. Without a serious overhaul of its present laws on wildlife crime, Indonesia can presume that the Sumatran tiger is in its dying days. It is a heartbreaking notion, but with the right level of deterrence and education, it is one that does not have to become reality.”

A critically endangered Sumatran tiger. Photo: Paul Hilton for Greenpeace

See more article written by iLCP Fellows at National Geographic Voices.