Wildlife Habitat Affected by Forest Fires in West Kalimantan, Three Orangutans Evacuated
Three orangutans have been evacuated from a community plantation in Tanjungpura Village, Ketapang Regency, West Kalimantan. The three orangutans were also affected by the forest and land fires occurring in West Kalimantan.
The three orangutans, consisting of a mother (Mama Yuni) and two offspring (Yuni and Pura), were evacuated on Friday (21/8) as the fires threatened their habitat and severed their movement routes.
‘Mama Yuni is the mother, Yuni is an infant, and Pura is an adolescent. All three have been observed in the community plantation area of Tanjungpura Village since early 2026,’ said YIARI Chairperson Silverius Oscar Unggul, as reported by Antara on Monday (24/8/2026).
Silverius stated that while in the area, YIARI’s Orangutan Protection Unit (OPU) team actively monitored the orangutans, which had the potential to cause negative interactions with communities in several areas of Ketapang and North Kayong Regencies, including Tanjungpura Village.
Although the forest in the area had been fragmented by community plantations, the three orangutans were still able to survive in the remaining forest areas.
However, the large fires that occurred in July and August 2026 burned the forest fragments that served as their only movement corridor. The fires also eliminated the roaming areas and food sources available to the orangutans.
‘When the forest burns and movement corridors are severed, orangutans lose space to forage, shelter, and move. Ultimately, they are pushed into plantations and closer to human settlements,’ said Silverius.
As a result of these conditions, the three orangutans became trapped in a plantation area directly bordering the community settlement.
Based on monitoring and field assessments, BKSDA West Kalimantan and YIARI decided to evacuate the three orangutans because they were in a threatened condition. Moreover, hotspots were still found in several areas of Tanjungpura Village and its surroundings.
The joint team moved to the location early in the morning and arrived at around 07:00 WIB. Upon arrival, the team faced thick smoke due to the ongoing forest and land fires in the surrounding area.
To minimise risks to both the rescue team and the animals, officers used tranquilliser guns with anaesthetic doses carefully calculated by veterinarians based on estimated body weight and the condition of each individual.
‘The evacuation process took quite a long time. The team needed around eight hours to sedate the three orangutans because the animals moved quite nimbly and kept shifting positions,’ he said.
After successful anaesthesia, the three orangutans underwent thorough medical examinations. The medical team also administered intravenous fluids to ensure their physical condition remained good and stable before being moved.
After the examinations were completed and the three were declared fit for transfer, Mama Yuni, Yuni, and Pura were evacuated from the community plantation to a release site in the Tanagupa area.
He added that the journey to the translocation site took around five hours using a combination of land and water transportation. The Tanagupa area was selected based on an assessment as a safer location with suitable habitat to support the orangutans’ life in the wild.
Head of Gunung Palung National Park Prawono Meruanto said his office welcomed the synergy of all parties in the translocation effort of the three orangutans.
‘The Gunung Palung National Park area is a safe natural habitat to support the survival of orangutans. After release, our field team will continue to monitor the movements and adaptation process of Mama Yuni, Yuni, and Pura to ensure they can survive well in their new home,’ he said.