An orangutan was trained to perform sex acts and forced into prostitution in Indonesia.

Workers at a nearby palm oil farm in Borneo would come to the village’s brothel where Pony would be lying on a dirty mattress, chained to the wall.

The defenceless animal, who was shaved and made to wear jewellery and perfume, would then be raped by men twice the size of her, who had paid for the experience.

Pony was forced into prostitution by villagers in Indonesia (Picture: BOS)

‘It was horrifying. She was a sex slave – it was grotesque,’ said Michelle Desilets, who was Director of the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation UK when Pony was rescued.




‘She was covered in abscesses, and they put makeup and earrings on her.

‘She must have been in so much pain. It was horrible to think about how terrified she must have been.’

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Pony was stolen from her mother as a baby and taught how to perform sex acts by her captors from as young as six years old.

Her body was then shaved every other day, leaving her with sores, skin irritation, and prone to mosquito bites.

Fortunately she was rescued in 2003 – but 35 armed policemen were required to force cash-strapped villagers to hand her over.

‘We were threatened with guns and knives,’ Ms Desilets, a former teacher, told The Sun.

The orangutan was rescued in 2003 (Picture: BOS)

‘The madam cried bitterly when Pony was taken away.’

Despite her horrific ordeal, Pony has been able to make a full recovery in the 15 years since she escaped.

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‘The first baby steps where to make her trust us in her new home. We tried to keep men away from her enclosure as she was afraid of them,’ said Lone Droscher-Nielson, who helped rescue Pony.

‘After her quarantine we would take her into the forest with the younger orangutans, still women only.

‘She slowly recovered and male carers were slowly introduced to her. She didn’t seem to be afraid of them anymore and she was happy with any company she could have.

Pony has learned to trust humans again (Picture: BOS)

‘Eventually she was moved to one of the islands.’

Pony cannot be released into the wild due to spending too much time in human captivity and her lack of survival skills.

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She now lives with seven other orangutans at the Nyaru Menteng Rehabilitation Centre, and has learned how to make nests and forage.

‘I met Pony shortly after she was rescued. Her resilience is amazing,’ Ms Desilets said.

‘Despite the trauma, she maintained a dignity, and sense of humour.

‘She had the best personality, and learned how to trust very quickly, despite what she’d been through.’

She will never be able to live by herself in the wild (Picture: BOS)

Orangutans and other primates can be trafficked for up to £10,000 on the black market – and can even be bought on sites such as Instagram and Facebook.

According to experts, for every one baby sold, as many as four others are killed.

But despite a rising awareness in animal cruelty, the illegal wildlife trade is continuing to boom.

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Last year two baby orangutans, an eight-month-old female Korwas and one-year-old male Gakkum, were found in tiny cages about to be sent out after reportedly being sold through social media.



‘There’s nothing cuter than a baby orangutan,’ Ms Desilets said.

‘That’s their flaw – they’re irresistible as babies so they fetch a lot of money and celebrities like Paris Hilton have been pictured posing with them on Instagram.

‘However, they don’t make good pets – they become unmanageable.’

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