Following a recent campaign by Nature Alert and Orangutan Appeal UK, two adult orangutans were confiscated last week from this antiquated zoo in southern Malaysia. Supporters may recall seeing photos of Shirley the orangutan smoking cigarettes in her enclosure. Shirley and a male orangutan called Abu were rescued last week by government officials and taken into quarantine. Both orangutans will need to be declared free of any disease before being moved to an orangutan rescue centre in Sarawak.

A few kilometres away from Johor Zoo, a private zoo was raided and closed down last week by the same government authorities. The closure took place following a campaign that exposed the cruel treatment of the zoo’s inhabitants. This is the second zoo forced into closure in the last six months as a result of public complaints.

Thank you to everyone who helped achieve this!