Some of them had burns on their hands and feet, and some of them were skinny and malnourished,
said YIARI wildlife rehabilitation foundation CEO Karmele Llano Sanchez to AFP journalists describing the condition of rescued apes. Conservationists opened cages in an Indonesian Borneo forest on Thursday to release nine orangutans that survived devastating wildfires in West Kalimantan province. The group included four pairs of mothers and their young, who spent weeks recovering in a rehabilitation center after the blazes scorched their natural habitat in August and September.
Release into Batu Nyambu Protected Area
The nine rehabilitated orangutans received a new home in Batu Nyambu, a 23,000-hectare protected area in West Kalimantan province. Conservation workers traveled by car, kayak, and hours on foot through dense, steep, and slippery terrain, carrying the animals in cages suspended from poles that dug into their shoulders. YIARI veterinarian Ishma Maula noted that the apes had grown extremely stressed and exhibited abnormal behavior during quarantine, making immediate release necessary once a safe habitat was located.
Pregnancies Discovered Before Release
Final health checks prior to the release revealed that three of the adult female orangutans were pregnant again. Among them is Mama Ocha, who was rescued alongside her baby, Ocha. The team will stay around to make sure that she is all right and that she can deliver her baby, and that will be an excellent outcome,
Sanchez stated. Batu Nyambu was selected because its largely untouched forests provide abundant food and shelter, giving the animals the best opportunity to rebuild their lives.
Did You Know? According to conservation group WWF, only around 104,000 orangutans remain in the wild across Borneo and Sumatra, which is less than half of the estimated population from a century ago.
Escalating Wildfires Threaten Habitats
According to figures from Indonesia’s forestry ministry, a minimum of 51 orangutans were pulled to safety away from raging West Kalimantan fires from the beginning of August through the middle of October. Concurrently, Nusantara Atlas, a deforestation tracking organization, calculated that fires wiped out upward of 1.9 million hectares of terrain over the initial nine months of the year. Experts attribute much of this destruction to slash-and-burn land-clearing practices tied to timber, palm oil, and mining expansion.
Rehabilitation efforts provide a vital lifeline for displaced individuals, while conservation groups emphasize that protecting remaining habitats in Borneo and Sumatra is critical for the survival of the species.
Orangutans Released into Protected West Kalimantan Forests
Where were the nine rescued orangutans released?
The orangutans were released into Batu Nyambu, a 23,000-hectare protected area located in West Kalimantan province. Conservationists chose this location because its forests remain largely untouched and provide abundant food and shelter.
How long were the animals in rehabilitation before their release?
The rescued orangutans spent four to eight weeks recovering in a rehabilitation center in Ketapang. During this time, they were cared for and fed to overcome malnutrition and treat burns on their hands and feet.
How many orangutans have been rescued in the region?
Records provided by Indonesia’s forestry ministry indicate that no fewer than 51 orangutans were retrieved from fire-stricken forests within West Kalimantan during the timeframe spanning early August to mid-October. This broader crisis includes incidents such as fires.
How can regional authorities more effectively curb the slash-and-burn land-clearing practices driving these devastating forest fires?
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