Tourists who want to photograph endangered orangutans pose a danger to the animals. Researchers at Brooks University in Oxford, UK, warn that their closeness could lead to the spread of Government-19 and other deadly viruses.
Covit-19 doesn’t just attack humans: our close relatives, the great monkeys, are also in danger. A team of experts has found that tourists going into the wild can endanger the lives of endangered orangutans by spreading human viruses such as Government-19.
Researchers looked at Instagram photos of tourists in Indonesia and saw how they violated various rules. The images show tourists not maintaining enough space, taking selfies and keeping pets, hugging and feeding wild orangutans. In this vicinity orangutans are susceptible to human diseases, which can cause deadly infections.
Orangutans are only found on two islands in the world: Sumatra and Kalimantan. Three endangered orangutan species have been listed on the International Wildlife Fund’s Red List.
Disease transmission
The study has been published in the journal Science Folia Primatology. Leading author and biologist Andrea Molineux lives in North Sumatra and is a staunch supporter of safe jungle trekking. “The risk of zoonotic disease spread between tourists and orangutans is very worrying,” said Molineux. “National parks have rules that inform visitors of the dangers, but our results show that tourists are not aware of them. It is given little attention in the wider safety community.
The research team concluded that there is poor harmony among people visiting orangutans in Kunung Luzer National Park in North Sumatra, Indonesia. “In the photos we examined, we saw tourists touching, stroking, hugging, feeding and taking selfies,” said Emma Hankinson, an ecologist and PhD student. “I’ve done a lot of work in Sumatra, where I’ve seen this kind of behavior often. The risk of transmission is high between humans and the orangutans they visit.’
Kovit also came for the big monkey
In January 2021, three gorillas caught at the San Diego Zoo tested positive for Covit-19, and nine more gorillas at the Atlanta Zoo in September this year. This suggests that the current epidemic is also affecting the great monkeys.
However, Hankinson sees positive points about this epidemic: ‘Covit-19 has made people more aware of the risks, and we hope this will have a positive impact on the behavior of visitors to Kunung Loser National Park and other tourist sites. I feel bound by the rules.
“This important and timely research illustrates the lack of respect for orangutans from viewers who want to get closer to selfies, and who are unaware that doing so is harming orangutans,” said Ashley Lehman, founder and director of the British Orangutan Foundation. “Now that tourism is booming again, a mood swing is urgently needed, and if visitors want to protect the dangerous orangutans they want to see most, they need to be within 10 meters.”
Covit-19 doesn’t just attack humans: our close relatives, the great monkeys, are also in danger. A team of experts has found that tourists going into the wild can endanger the lives of endangered orangutans by spreading human viruses such as Government-19. The researchers looked at the Instagram photos of tourists in Indonesia and saw how they broke many rules. The images show tourists not maintaining enough space, taking selfies and keeping pets, hugging and feeding wild orangutans. Around this area orangutans are susceptible to human diseases that cause deadly infections. Orangutans are only found on two islands in the world: Sumatra and Kalimantan. The International Wildlife Fund’s Red List lists three endangered orangutan species, published in the scientific journal Folia Primatology. Leading author and biologist Andrea Molineux lives in North Sumatra and is a staunch supporter of safe jungle trekking. “The risk of zoonotic disease spread between tourists and orangutans is very worrying,” said Molineux. “National parks have rules that inform visitors about hazards, but our results show that tourists are not aware of them. There is little attention paid to the wider safety community, but it is important that visitors do not approach or feed the orangutans. .” Parks in North Sumatra, Indonesia “In the photos we surveyed, we found tourists very close to touching, stroking, cuddling, feeding, and taking selfies,” says Emma Hankinson, an ecologist and PhD student. The risk of transmission is high between humans and the orangutans they visit.” In January 2021, three gorillas captured at the San Diego Zoo tested positive for Covit-19, and another nine gorillas at the Atlanta Zoo in September this year. This has created more awareness among people about the risk of disease and we hope it will have a positive impact on the behavior of those who come to Kunung. Leuser National Park and other tourist sites will help them comply better with the rules, Lehman said. “Now that tourism is booming again, a mood swing is urgently needed, and if visitors want to protect the dangerous orangutans they want to see most, they need to be within 10 meters.”
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