Orangutan escapes from Solo Safari, causing commotion among residents

A single orangutan from the Solo Safari collection escaped from its enclosure. The animal’s escape caused alarm among nearby residents.

One eyewitness, Eko, said the orangutan suddenly leapt from the Solo Safari grounds and crossed the road towards a trading area located to the west of Solo Safari. In a circulating video, the orangutan can also be seen knocking over several motorcycles belonging to residents.

“It was then handled by Solo Safari. They brought a net. The capture process took around half an hour,” he said in Solo, Central Java, on Tuesday (18/8/2026).

Solo Safari acknowledged reports of the orangutan’s escape. Solo Safari Marketing Manager Danu Widi Krismara said that after receiving information about the incident, the Taman Safari Indonesia (TSI) Group immediately deployed an internal team with expertise in animal handling to secure the area.

“The handling process was carried out in a measured manner, prioritising the safety of the public and the animal in accordance with applicable procedures,” he said.

He said the team successfully secured the orangutan and returned it to its exhibit in a controlled condition. “In this process, TSI Group ensured that the handling was carried out with consideration for public safety as well as animal welfare, as an inseparable part of our animal management standards,” he said.