Indonesia: nine orangutans rescued from wildfires return to the forest

Deep in the protected Batu Nyambu forest, conservationists opened the transport cages on Thursday, 29 October, allowing the animals to scramble up nearby trees and vanish into the canopy. The group included four mothers accompanied by their young, three of whom had also been found to be pregnant during their final veterinary examinations.

The orangutans had been rescued in August and September from an oil palm plantation in Ketapang, where fires had swept through their habitat. Some suffered burns to their hands and feet, while others were severely underweight and malnourished, according to Karmele Llano Sanchez, head of the YIARI wildlife rehabilitation foundation.

After spending four to eight weeks recovering at a rehabilitation centre in Ketapang, the orangutans faced a difficult journey to their new home. Conservationists transported them by vehicle, boat and on foot, carrying heavy cages through steep, slippery forest terrain to reach Batu Nyambu, a 23,000-hectare protected area chosen for its largely undisturbed habitat and abundant food.

The release comes amid growing concern over the survival of Borneo's critically endangered orangutans. Indonesia's forestry ministry says at least 51 have been rescued from burning forests in West Kalimantan since early August, while monitoring group Nusantara Atlas estimates that fires consumed more than 1.9 million hectares of land across Indonesia in the first nine months of 2026.