A dramatic race against time is crossing the forests and peatlands of Borneo, where devastating forest fires continue to destroy the natural habitat and food supplies of orangutans, enveloping the area in a thick cloud of toxic smoke that also affects Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
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In this scenario of serious ecological crisis, an extraordinary rescue operation made it possible to save 53 orangutans, a species in critical danger of extinction.
The emergency interventions were conducted in the field by the operators of the YIARI organization (Yayasan Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia), led by CEO Karmele Llano Sanchez, in close synergy with the BKSDA (Agency for the Conservation of Natural Resources of the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry), International Animal Rescue led by Gavin Bruce, the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation and WWF Indonesia.
Rescue in the field: the stories of Irene, Satya and rewilding in Gunung Palung Park
Rescue teams have been working continuously day and night since August to secure the animals trapped in the flames. Among the most significant operations include the rescue of the cubs Irene and Satya, recovered together with their mother in West Kalimantan in critical condition after days spent without food, as well as the rescue of a 20-year-old orangutan carried out in the village of Hampangen, in the Katingan regency.
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Human greed destroys, exacerbating the effects of the climate crisis, and these extraordinary animals pay the price with their very lives.
Many of the rescued specimens were urgently transferred to the YIARI rehabilitation center to receive immediate veterinary care. In parallel, several already re-established individuals have been successfully reintroduced into the island’s forest reserves, including Gunung Palung National Park, located 5 hours away, to create new wild populations in protected areas.
Full reception center and hope for seasonal rains
The incessant wave of recoveries has brought the YIARI rehabilitation center to the limit of capacity, pushing the organizations to launch a public fundraiser to cover the costs of feeding and caring for the animals.
While specialized teams continue patrols in the areas devastated by the fire, the entire region anxiously awaits the arrival of the seasonal rains – the start of which has been postponed from October to November – to contribute to the definitive extinguishing of the fires.
The crying of baby orangutans throws in our faces the extent of a great tragedy that we helped trigger.
