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15-year-old orangutan from Kalimantan named Tita was handed over on Tuesday evening to the Central Java Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) by her owner, Ari Santoso of Ploso hamlet, Karanggondang village, Mlonggo district, Jepara regency, Central Java.

Six BKSDA officers collected Tita and placed her in an iron cage on a truck. The truck arrived at the Central Java BKSDA office at around 7 p.m. local time after the long trip from Jepara.

'€œThe owner obtained Tita as a gift from a Dayak resident when he was working for a timber company in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, in 2000,'€ said Central Java BKSDA head Suharman.

Tita was then 5 months old. Ari took care of Tita and treated her as pet. She was fed on rice, papaya, banana and even sweet tea and syrup, and lived in a narrow 2-meter high and 1.5-m wide cage.

'€œThe cage was made of industrial scrap wood, so it was very simple. It was in the back yard of Ari'€™s house. The family also often took Tita for a walk,'€ said Central Java BKSDA Conservation Section head Johan Setiawan.

As Tita grew older and became a teenager, Ari realized that she would have a strong desire to mate as her animal instincts appeared normal. He reported Tita'€™s presence to the Sidomuncil Conservation Institute (LKS) in Ungaran, Semarang regency, Central Java, after learning that the center also took care of other orangutans.

The institute reported the matter to the Central Java BKSDA, which came to Jepara to remove Tita.

When Tita arrived at BKSDA, she was deemed clean but overweight, weighing around 100 kilograms, compared to an ideal weight of between 70 and 80 kg.

'€œThat was because Tita was underactive due to her small cage. She could not hang about like in the wild,'€ Johan said.

Tita, who no longer wants to drink plain water, will be placed in the safe custody of the LKS. Suharman said that Law No. 5/1990 on natural resources and biological ecosystem stipulated that residents were not allowed to keep protected animals as pets, as also regulated in Government Regulation No. 7/1999 on plants and wildlife preservation.

Tita is categorized as a Pongo pygmaeus orangutan breed, which only lives in Kalimantan, or Borneo Island, and is a protected animal.

Suharman said Ari claimed he kept Tita as a pet because he was unaware that orangutans were categorized as protected animals. '€œWe will provide him counseling regarding the matter,'€ said Suharman.

Tita will be placed in quarantine prior to mixing with other orangutans at LKS as she undergoes complete medical examination until she is considered healthy.