The sale of three baby orangutans in Pekanbaru was foiled by Riau Police on November 7, 2015. Riau Police arrested seven suspects of orangutan trafficking in Rumbai Pesisir Sub-district, Pekanbaru. From this operation, three orangutans estimated to be under 1 year old and a car used by the suspects were secured by the police. Five of the suspects were taken in and questioned by the Special Criminal Investigation Directorate of Riau Police, while the other two were found to have escaped.

During questioning, the suspects admitted to bringing the three baby orangutans from Aceh to sell to a buyer in Pekanbaru. They also claimed to have made several sales of orangutans from Aceh to Thailand. Two further suspects were released as they were found not to be directly involved in the baby orangutan sale case.

The evidence of the three baby orangutans was stored in three baskets, each measuring 50 X 30 cm. The condition of the orangutans when secured was quite poor even though they were given milk because they were wet and dirty.

Considering the health of the baby orangutans, the Riau Police asked WWF Indonesia to facilitate the temporary care of the orangutans. That same night the three orangutans, two males and one female, were examined by a veterinarian. In the morning, the orangutans were placed in a veterinary clinic. The attending veterinarian stated that the orangutans were quite stressed, had high body temperatures, and one of them was suffering from diarrhea. However, their condition improved after a few days of supervised care.

Riau Police's Head of Public Relations, Guntur Aryo Tejo, when giving a press statement about this operation in Pekanbaru on November 9, said, "Riau Police arrested three suspects in the trade of orangutans brought from Tamiang Aceh. One of the suspects is a civil servant. Riau Police will continue to investigate this case and coordinate with related parties to uncover wildlife trafficking crimes." He added that the orangutans would be sold to buyers in Pekanbaru for Rp. 25,000,000 per individual.

Currently, WWF Indonesia, BBKSDA Riau and Riau Police are looking for an organization with more experience in orangutan care that can temporarily accommodate the care of these three orangutans while the police investigation is ongoing.

Wishnu Sukmantoro, Program Manager of WWF Central Sumatra Program stated, "We appreciate the success of Riau Police in arresting the orangutan traffickers and hope that this is a step towards uncovering the wildlife trafficking network in Sumatra."

"Wildlife traffickers need to be given severe punishment to stop the rise of crimes like this," Wishnu added.

Wildlife poaching and trade is still rampant in Riau in particular. This orangutan case is the second of its kind in 2015, before Riau Police successfully arrested the poaching and trade of four elephant tusks in February 2015. Meanwhile, Riau's Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) also foiled the trade of four hornbill beaks in May 2015.
Riau's strategic position makes it one of the destinations for wildlife and body parts trafficking.