Indonesia rescues 46 orangutans as wildfires devastate Borneo habitats

Indonesian authorities have rescued 46 orangutans from forest and land fires in West Kalimantan on Borneo Island, as spreading wildfires continue to destroy habitats and threaten endangered wildlife.

The rescues were carried out between August and Oct. 9 by the West Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency and the IAR Indonesia Foundation, according to the state-run Antara news agency.

The agency's chief Murlan Dameria Pane said eight healthy orangutans were relocated Friday to the Batu Nyambu Protection Forest in Ketapang district following medical examinations and observation.

The rescued animals came from Ketapang and North Kayong districts, where fires destroyed forest cover and left orangutans stranded in plantations with limited food.

Among them were a mother and her baby found isolated on a 400-square-meter (4,305-square-foot) patch of acacia trees surrounded by oil palm plantations.

IAR Indonesia operational director Argitoe Ranting said the 23,000-hectare Batu Nyambu forest was selected after assessments of food availability, water sources, and ecological suitability.

He warned that relocation alone could not address the continuing destruction of orangutan habitats.

IAR Indonesia chief Karmele Llano Sanchez said several rescued orangutans remained under intensive medical treatment for burns, malnutrition, severe anemia, and other complications.

The animals will require further recovery before they can be returned to suitable natural habitats.