Poaching seems like it should be a problem that should have been taken care of before 2018. Sadly it’s still a thing, no matter how many poachers get caught. So when there is a shortage of certain types of animals in the world, drastic measures must be taken to protect them.
With that said, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anything as drastic as what is having to be done for Alba the Bornean orangutan. She doesn’t see herself as any different than the rest of her orangutan friends, but if she was in the wild poachers would find her instantly due to her snow white fur. That’s why the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation is not stopping at anything to help Alba.
She’s actually the only albino orangutan in existence (that we know of, maybe Bigfoot is hiding another one). She was stolen from the wild the year ago, and that’s when the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation stepped in. They heard about her story and had to go in and saved her.
Due to her being albino, Alba is more likely to get sicknesses like skin disease, vision loss and poor hearing. So what is the foundation doing to prevent all that? Oh you know just put her in a club with Richard Branson and Australia, and yes that’s the “We own an island” club.
The foundation is raising $80,000 to do such a thing. If she was to go back to the wild, they would just put her at risk to be thrown into a cage again. They don’t want that.
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When word spread of Alba, the money was quickly raised. It only took six months for this to become a reality. Soon, Alba and three of her orange-haired friends will take a one way trip to the sanctuary island.
Nico Hermanu, who is the communications officer for the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation, said to The Dodo:
“The new forest-island for Alba will be secured 24/7 by security staff patrolling the island regularly.
The sanctuary initiative also involves cooperation from the local government and communities. This way, we can safely say that Alba should be well-protected in her new forest-island.”
Alba’s mother was probably killed which led to Alba getting poached at just 5-years-old. Thankfully that was enough time for her to learn how to survive in a forest in the wild. If that hadn’t happen this island sanctuary wouldn’t be possible.
Hermanu continued on, saying:
“Looking at her, she is just as wild as other semi-wild orangutans we put her with.”
So her and her friends will be safe and sound away from the poachers. Too bad this isn’t an option when it comes to other almost extinct animals…
