Eight Orangutans Rescued From Borneo Wildfires Released Into Protected Forest

Eight endangered orangutans rescued from wildfire-ravaged parts of Indonesian Borneo have been released into a protected forest, a conservation group said. The animals were moved on Oct. 8 to the Batu Nyambu protected forest in West Kalimantan province, according to The Associated Press, which spoke with a spokesperson for the Indonesian Nature Rehabilitation Initiative Foundation, known as YIARI.

The group includes three mothers with infants and two adolescent males. The apes had been stranded by fires that swept through Ketapang and North Kayong regencies between August and September.

How the orangutans ended up stranded

YIARI spokesperson Heribertus Suciadi told the AP that the fires cut off habitat corridors and reduced the apes' access to food. That pushed them into plantations where people live, where they were trapped as they searched for food and shelter.

Among those rescued was a female known as Mama Man and her infant, Man. Suciadi said the pair had been monitored for months in a small patch of forest surrounded by plantations. As fires spread and heavy smoke settled in, they had no safe way back to larger forests, and they were evacuated in early September. He said the two other mother-and-infant pairs and the two young males were found in similar conditions near villages.

Suciadi said the animals had no burns, open wounds, broken bones or other life-threatening injuries. They did appear to be suffering from malnutrition and dehydration.

Why this site was chosen

After the rescue, the orangutans received veterinary examinations and were observed at a YIARI rehabilitation center to confirm they were healthy enough to return to the wild. YIARI Operational Director Argitoe Ranting said Batu Nyambu was selected because it remains largely intact despite the fires. He said it offers plentiful food, water and nesting trees, along with connections to neighboring forests.

Ranting said the aim is for the animals to have a real chance of surviving in their natural habitat rather than simply being relocated. He added that protected forests able to take in displaced orangutans are becoming scarcer as fires spread. YIARI CEO Karmele Llano Sanchez described the relocation as a “last resort” after the animals' original habitat was no longer safe.

Why it matters: wildlife and people pushed together

The rescue shows how fires can drive wild animals into areas where people live and work. In this case, hungry and displaced orangutans ended up in plantations and near villages. Residents found at least one of them in distress: a male named Sampurna, believed to be about 20 years old, was found struggling to breathe in early September on a palm oil plantation in Ketapang district. Indonesia's Forestry Ministry said he died hours after being rescued.

The ministry said that as of Saturday, more than 270 wild animals in Indonesia's part of Borneo had been rescued, rehabilitated or guided to safer habitats. That total includes 46 orangutans rescued by YIARI.

What is behind this year's fires

According to the AP, forest and land fires in Indonesia have worsened this year as El Niño intensifies a prolonged dry season. Other contributing factors include land clearing with fire in the Indonesian part of Borneo and parts of Sumatra. Water shortages have also hampered Indonesian firefighters, who have received assistance from Japan.

Sanchez said the orangutans released this month had been traumatized by the fires that devastated their habitat. She said rescuing them is one of the best ways to help them survive.

Around Prague, based on reporting by ABC News