Antara News·Indonesia·Monday, October 19, 2026 at 10:46 AM UTC

Some 51 orangutans rescued from fire-affected areas in West Kalimantan

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Narwati, Resinta Sulistiyandari

Bengkayang, West Kalimantan (ANTARA) - A total of 51 orangutans were rescued from areas affected by forest and land fires in the Ketapang and North Kayong Districts of West Kalimantan between August 6 and October 10, 2026.

"Thirty of these individuals were found in the vicinity of the PT KALE oil palm plantation," the CEO of Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia (YIARI) and a wildlife veterinarian, Karmele Llano Sanchez, said on Monday.

She noted that the fires have jeopardized the safety of the orangutans, with many found in states of distress, emaciation, and poor health.

"Lusi the orangutan appeared extremely stressed and painfully thin. She had likely gone without food for days in this devastated forest," Sanchez noted.

In the most recent operations, a joint team rescued four orangutans: two adolescent females named Lusi and Riri, and a mother-offspring pair, Mama Rian and Rian.

Riri, Mama Rian, and Rian were evacuated on October 10, while Lusi was rescued on October 16 from an area designated as having High Conservation Value (HCV) within the PT KALE plantation in Laman Satong Village.

Following evacuations from the vicinity, 27 individual orangutans have been identified as requiring further care at a rehabilitation center.

Analysis of satellite imagery from August 1 to September 25, 2026, indicates that more than 90 percent of the HCV area has been affected by fire.

Sanchez said the joint team continues its rescue efforts, as several other orangutans are believed to remain in the burned HCV areas. However, thick smoke at various locations and smoldering ground have hampered evacuation efforts.

A 2016 scientific publication estimated that the area served as a habitat for approximately 150 Bornean orangutans, with a population density of 5.49 individuals per square kilometer. This estimation underscores the significant potential impact of the fires on the local orangutan population.

Murlan Dameria Pane, Head of the West Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), emphasized that the HCV areas affected by the forest and land fires must be restored to preserve biodiversity and reinstate the ecological functions of the wildlife habitat.

"Restoration efforts are crucial to orangutan survival and can also help reduce the risk of human-wildlife conflict," Pane said.

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