Orangutan killed after fleeing fires

Orangutan killed after fleeing fires

SAMARINDA, East Kalimantan: Forest fires in the province have
forced at least 16 orangutans to flee their habitat, but one of
the apes died at the hands of villagers, Antara reported
yesterday.

The orangutans had wandered into human settlements in East
Kalimantan after forest fires in October, the manager of the
Semboja Wana Riset Orangutan Rehabilitation Center near
Samarinda, Arsyad, said.

Villagers attacked two orangutans that were destroying a
plantation, killing one and seriously wounding another, Arsyad
said.

He said the group of apes had been rescued, including the
wounded one, and they had spent the past 10 days at the
rehabilitation center.

The orangutans are believed to have fled fires in the 200,000-
hectare Kutai National Park, in the district of Kutai.

Widespread forest fires in Indonesia during the drought have
resulted in a thick haze which has covered a large part of
Southeast Asia and caused serious transportation problems and
health concerns.

The Semboja center is one of the country's three orangutan
rehabilitation centers. (swe)