Orangutans Adil and Gigih return to Borneo's forest a day after turning up on a palm plantation
They were found on Friday on an oil palm plantation in Ketapang, West Kalimantan, and by Saturday they were back in their habitat. Indonesia's forestry minister released them alongside vet Karmele Llano, head of the charity YIARI, and admitted that rescues alone are not enough while their forest remains unprotected.
Adil is more than 8 years old and Gigih more than 10. Both are male Bornean orangutans, and on Friday 23 October they turned up somewhere they should not have been: an oil palm plantation in Laman Satong, a village in Ketapang regency, West Kalimantan, Indonesia. They were evacuated the same day, and by Saturday 24 October they were back in their natural habitat.
From plantation to forest in a day
They were released by Indonesia’s forestry minister, Raja Juli Antoni, together with vet Karmele Llano Sánchez, chief executive of the Indonesian charity YIARI (International Animal Rescue’s local arm), with support from the army and police in Ketapang, according to the state news agency ANTARA. The ministry has not said which forest they were released into.
The minister said he was glad about the rescue but saddened that the forests these animals live in are still not properly protected. His hope, he said, is that one day orangutans will no longer need to be rescued and released at all.
A season of fires
The release comes in the middle of Borneo’s fire season. Since 6 August, West Kalimantan’s conservation agency and YIARI have evacuated 51 orangutans from burned areas, mostly in Ketapang and North Kayong, as we reported on 19 October. According to ANTARA, the ministry, YIARI and their partners are continuing work to prevent forest fires.
The Bornean orangutan is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List. The ministry is asking anyone who finds one in their village to call its hotline so that specialists can respond.
Photos of the release on their way
YIARI usually publishes its own account and photos of each release within a few days. When the pictures of Adil and Gigih arrive, we will add them to this story.
