Knock Out Orangutan Boxing in Thailand

by Annie Hartnett · 2010-04-13 14:16:00 UTC
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In 2004, 48 endangered orangutans were rescued from Safari World theme park in Thailand, where they had been forced to participate in boxing matches. The orangutans, illegally smuggled from their native Indonesia, were dressed in gym shorts and boxing gloves, then sent into a ring to kickbox each other in front of a cheering crowd of park visitors.

Safari World is back at it. Orangutans are once again forced to kickbox each other in front of human spectators, with orangutans dressed in bikinis coming out between rounds. The fights go on for thirty minutes before the apes are returned to their dismal cages.

A male orangutan weighs 250 lbs. Although the apes are trained to pretend to be knocked out, they could easily hurt one another in the boxing ring. They could also hurt, or even kill, a human trainer. We've already seen this movie, both at Seaworld and at the Circus, we should know how it ends: a captive wild animal will eventually kill a human trainer.

The Thai government was right to ban this bizarre animal cruelty six years ago. It isn't clear why the ban was lifted.

The Safari World website advertises the orangutan boxing: "Your closest cousins will tickle you with their keen sense of humor and dazzle you with their mathematical gifts." I'm not sure what mathematical gifts Safari World believes orangutan boxing exhibits, but abusing our endangered "closest cousins" definitely doesn't add up.

Tell the Thai government to permanently ban orangutan boxing.

Photo Credit: Rennett Stowe

Annie Hartnett is a writer and animal advocate who has worked for several wildlife rehabilitation centers and environmental programs.

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