Endangered orangutan killed with 130 air rifle pellets

摘要

A highly endangered Bornean orangutan died in Indonesia after taking 130 pellets from an air rifle, a conservation group said today. "It had been blinded," said Ramadhani, a habitat protection manager with the Centre for Orangutan Protection. "We found 74 air rifle pellets lodged just in its head." The killing is the second of its kind this year. Indonesian farmers have cleared large swaths of orangutan habitat for coffee or palm plantations, and officials often blame plantation workers or farmers for killing the animals when they find them on their property. The police said they are investigating the most recent shooting. The offense could carry up to a five-year jail sentence.