Endangered Orangutans Rescued and Relocated Following Borneo Wildfires

Eight endangered orangutans, including three mothers with infants and two adolescent males, were released into the Batu Nyambu protected forest following weeks of devastating wildfires, a conservation group said.

Evacuating the Ash-Choked Canopies of Ketapang and North Kayong

The rescued animals were pulled from fire-ravaged zones in the Ketapang and North Kayong regencies between August and September. Suciadi noted that the apes were found in conditions after fires swept through forests near villages.

Photo: Jakarta Globe

Among the evacuees was a female named Mama Man and her infant, Man. The pair had spent months trapped inside a small forest patch isolated by surrounding plantations. Expanding flames and heavy smoke ultimately eliminated any viable escape route toward larger forests, forcing wildlife teams to step in by early September.

Forest and land fires have surged across Indonesia this year, fueled by a prolonged dry season intensified by El Niño conditions. Land clearances using fire and severe regional water shortages have heavily hampered ground firefighting crews, even with international assistance from Japan.

Tragically, not all animals survived the displacement. A male orangutan estimated to be around 20 years old, named Sampurna, was discovered struggling to breathe by local residents in early September on a palm oil plantation within West Kalimantan’s Ketapang district. He died just hours after being rescued, according to the Indonesian Forestry Ministry.

Weighing Field Rehabilitation Against Escalating Environmental Crises

YIARI Operational Director Argitoe Ranting emphasized that the Batu Nyambu location was specifically chosen because the terrain remains largely intact despite wildfires, offering reliable water supplies, abundant food, nesting trees, and direct connections to neighboring forested expanses.

“We want to ensure that rescued orangutans are not simply moved from one place to another, but actually have a chance to survive in their natural habitat,” Ranting explained, warning that protected forests capable of receiving displaced orangutans are becoming increasingly scarce as fires spread.

YIARI CEO Karmele Llano Sanchez stressed that the relocation was a last resort. “These orangutans have been traumatized and other impacts by wildfires that devastated their habitat, leaving them displaced,” Sanchez said. “Rescuing them is one of the best ways we can help them survive.” As of Saturday, the Indonesian Forestry Ministry reported that more than 270 wild animals across the Indonesian portion of Borneo had been rescued, rehabilitated, or guided to safer habitats, a total that includes 46 orangutans rescued by YIARI.

Emergency Air Support Appeals and Central Government Intervention

While local groups work tirelessly on the ground, the broader crisis continues to exact a heavy toll on protected ecosystems. In Central Kalimantan’s Tanjung Puting National Park, fires have ravaged an estimated 54,000 hectares, pushing cumulative burn estimates past 120,000 hectares across Kalimantan according to monitoring data from the Forestry Ministry’s SiPongi system and the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, or BNPB.

Photo: Kompas

Local tourism volunteers and conservation groups, including the Green Orangutan Foundation of Kalimantan, issued urgent public appeals for emergency funding and widespread deployment of aerial water-bombing assets. Thick smoke has regularly disrupted helicopter operations, rendering aerial firefighting efforts both dangerous and difficult to execute effectively.

By Oct. 10, approximately 574,000 liters of water had been dropped over the fire-affected areas in Tanjung Puting National Park and West Kotawaringin Regency. However, fire intensity remained high and continues to threaten not only Bornean orangutans, but also local populations of proboscis monkeys, gibbons, and macaques.

In response to the escalating crisis, Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni announced that the ministry is coordinating closely with seasoned conservation groups such as the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation and the Orangutan Foundation International. The government is actively provisioning emergency supplies, including veterinary sedatives, oxygen units, and nebulizers, to safeguard wildlife health against toxic smoke exposure while ramping up joint patrols with local authorities and military personnel to protect core natural habitats.

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