Thursday, February 19, 2009

Swiss Ambassador has rarest treat in Semenggok


KUCHING: The Switzerland Ambassador to Malaysia, Dr Urs Stemmler, may now have realised how serious and thorough the Sarawak government was in its efforts to protect and preserve the state’s natural resources and wildlife.

Perhaps in the past, he could have just heard about it through people but yesterday he had the rare opportunity to see it for himself when visiting the Semenggok National Reserve, which is currently housing 25 adults, teenagers and also a nine-day old baby orang utans.

He was not only impressed for being able to see the orang utans roaming around at the centre but was “impressed because I’ve seen for myself how thoroughly this (orang utan conservation programme) is being carried out and how seriously it is taken”.

Speaking to pressmen during the visit, Stemmler said that he has a family history relating to orang utans because his uncle used to take care of orang utans in a zoo in Switzerland, who had been so famous that he appeared on the front page of the National Geographic magazine.

“I have very familiar tradition so to speak, in the protection of nature, and I am very impressed about the professionalism and the knowledge of the guide taking me around here. I think I am very lucky that I have seen practically the calling of the orang utans.

Continue reading (incl. pic) at: Swiss Ambassador has rarest treat in Semenggok
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