15 Orangutans Affected by West Kalimantan Forest Fires Rescued Within a Month
The West Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) together with the Indonesian Nature Rehabilitation Initiative Foundation (YIARI) has successfully rescued 15 individual orangutans affected by the threat of forest and land fires (karhutla) within the last month.
YIARI Program Operational Director, Argitoe Ranting, explained that forest fires have a dual impact on wildlife. In addition to the direct threat from fire, forest fires also cut off orangutan access to their natural habitats.
“What we worry about is not just when the fire approaches the orangutans, but also when the fire cuts off their access to the forest. They end up trapped in plantation landscapes and move from one plantation to another to find food and shelter,” said Argitoe in Ketapang, Thursday (10/9).
The most recent rescue operation was carried out on six individual orangutans in a mixed plantation area owned by residents in Pemangkat Village, Simpang Hilir District, North Kayong Regency. The evacuation took place in two stages, on 4 and 8 September 2026.
The six individuals consist of two mother-offspring pairs and two juveniles. They were identified as Mama Nopi and her offspring (Nopi), Mama Noni and her offspring (Noni), as well as two juvenile orangutans named Naufal and Nopan.
The team moved to conduct the evacuation after receiving reports from residents regarding the presence of wildlife wandering in the plantation area. This occurred because fires in the surrounding area had burnt away the wildlife crossing paths leading to the remaining forest blocks.
The General Chairperson of YIARI, Silverius Oscar Ungpland, emphasised his commitment to fully supporting government measures through the Ministry of Forestry and BKSDA West Kalimantan in mitigating the impact of forest fires on wildlife.
“Wildlife rescue is an important part of handling the impacts of forest fires, especially when fires cause habitats and wildlife access to the forest to become increasingly limited,” said Silverius.
Similarly, the Head of BKSDA West Kalimantan, Murlan Dameria Pane, stated that forest fires significantly disrupt the roaming range and food sources of wildlife. He emphasised that although prevention is the top priority, community participation is crucial once fires have occurred.
“Community involvement in detecting and reporting the presence of affected wildlife is an important part of managing the impacts,” said Murlan.
BKSDA urges the public to report immediately if they find wildlife leaving their habitats, especially in areas currently experiencing or threatened by forest fires.