Indonesia releases eight orangutans rescued from fires to protected forest

Jakarta, October 11 — Eight orangutans rescued from recent forest fires in Borneo have been released into a protected reserve, according to Indonesian authorities and wildlife rehabilitation groups. The apes were saved from several locations in West Kalimantan province, where the fires were mostly caused by plantations encroaching on their natural habitat.

The orangutans, including three mother-baby pairs and two male teenagers, were relocated on Friday to the Batu Nyambu Protected Forest, a 23,000-hectare reserve featuring primary and secondary forest cover. YIARI CEO Karmele Llano Sanchez emphasized the necessity of moving the animals to a safer location, stating that habitat protection is a top priority to ensure the survival of orangutans.

The reserve was selected due to its availability of food, water, and connectivity to other forests, ensuring the orangutans' chances of survival in their natural habitat. Between August and October 9, Indonesian authorities and YIARI rescued a total of 46 orangutans from fire threats. Orangutans are critically endangered, with around 104,000 remaining in Borneo and Sumatra, down from more than 230,000 a century ago.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature recently warned that fires had burned in habitats containing 52 percent of Borneo’s orangutan population. Indonesia frequently experiences wildfires during the dry season, but this year's fires have intensified due to the strong El Nino weather phenomenon and slash-and-burn land-clearing practices that have altered the naturally fire-resistant landscape.

The fires have caused severe local haze, leading to tens of thousands of respiratory illnesses, and have also produced regional air pollution spikes in Singapore and Malaysia.