Orangutan found starving in burned Borneo forest as Indonesia rescues hundreds of animals

Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) and Orangutan Foundation International (OFI) officials examine an orangutan after it was evacuated from a forest and land fire in the Baamang area of East Kotawaringin, Central Kalimantan on October 14, 2026. — AFP pic

First Published: Thursday, 15 Oct 2026 8:52 AM MYT

JAKARTA, Oct 15 — A female orangutan who was likely starving was evacuated yesterday from an area razed by fire on the Indonesian island of Borneo, officials said, as the country rescues hundreds of animals affected by the blazes.

Indonesia has for weeks struggled to control fires that have razed parts of Sumatra, Borneo and Papua islands, sending choking smog wafting across the border to Malaysia and Singapore.

The orangutan was spotted in a burned forest area in Central Kalimantan province on the Indonesian side of Borneo, local natural resources agency chief Muriansyah told reporters yesterday. 

“We strongly suspect that the orangutan was looking for food and then it was seen by residents, who then reported it to officials,” said Muriansyah, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

The animal, estimated to be around 20 years old, was transferred to an agency facility.

The great ape was anaesthetized so she could be safely captured, with rescuers using a net to collect the sleepy animal from atop a tree, according to an AFP reporter on the scene.

Preliminary examinations showed the female orangutan was not injured and did not appear to be suffering from respiratory problems, said Ichlasul Khaerul, a medical staffer with Orangutan Foundation International (OFI).

However, “seen from her abdominal circumference, probably the orangutan, Ira, was in the state of starvation,” Ichlasul said.

Indonesia has rescued 232 wild animals as of October 8, including 76 proboscis monkeys and 71 orangutans on Borneo, a forestry ministry spokesman said Wednesday.

Orangutans are critically endangered. Around 104,000 remain in Borneo and Sumatra, down from more than 230,000 a century ago, according to conservation group WWF.

Last month, the International Union for Conservation of Nature warned fires were burning in habitats containing 52 percent of Borneo’s orangutan population. — AFP