The Orangutan Conservancy (OC) continued its drive to raise the level of veterinary care at orangutan rehabilitation centers by reaching an agreement with Chembio Diagnostic Systems, Inc., that will provide over 1,500 tuberculosis testing kits to facilities in Borneo and Sumatra.

The PrimaTB STAT-PAK testing kits are considered useful in the detection of tuberculosis in primates, a severe respiratory disease that can prove deadly.
Rehabilitation centers care for over 1,500 orphaned orangutans at facilities in Southeast Asia, and veterinary personnel are often the first to encounter – or detect – infectious diseases in the animals. The testing kits will be distributed to the rehabilitation centers beginning in early 2010, along with training programs in the proper use and diagnostics.

Earlier this year, the Orangutan Conservancy emphasized its veterinary support by staging the OC Veterinary Workshop, in association with the Birmingham (Alabama) chapter of the American Association of Zookeepers, the Oregon Zoo’s Future for Wildlife program, the Fresno Chaffee Zoo, and the Chester Zoo. That workshop brought together 35 delegates for a week of training and practical sessions in Borneo.

The need for better resources in the battle against tuberculosis at orangutan rehabilitation centers was a recurring theme.

“This donation is extremely important,” said Dr. Steve Unwin of the Chester Zoo, who facilitated the OC Veterinary Workshop. “Tuberculosis affects all primates, including humans. Unfortunately, rates of infection are increasing in people. So it is a disease we take extremely seriously.”
(more…)