Eight orangutans have been launched back into the wild in Borneo after they were taken into captivity when their habitat was threatened by wildfires over the summer season.
Three moms, their three daughters and two grownup males were freed in a reserve in the west of the island on Friday, International Animal Rescue Indonesia (Yiari) and the forestry ministry said.
Indonesian authorities rescued 46 orangutans from fires in August and September. Wildfires in the area are standard for the nation’s dry season but intensified this yr.
The apes are critically endangered. Around 104,000 orangutans stay in Borneo and Sumatra, down from more than 230,000 a century in the past, according to conservation group WWF.
While Indonesia is among many nations to grapple with wildfires each summer season, this yr’s were more intense due to the El Niño ocean warming phenomenon, which makes climate patterns more risky and intense.
Yiari CEO Karmele Llano Sanchez said relocating the eight orangutans to the reserve was a “necessary step” when their habitats turned unsafe.
Among them was Mama Nopi and her offspring Nopi, Naufal and Nopan, who had been surviving in a coconut and rubber plantation before their rescue in early September, Yiari said.
Fires had incinerated the surrounding forestry, proscribing their access to food and bringing them nearer to people.
Source hyperlink
