Mother and Baby Orangutans Rescued from Borneo Fires: “I Feared for Their Safety”

Raya was clinging to the top of a tree in the smoke when Indonesian rescuers found her. The female orangutan, estimated to be about 20 years old, had been spotted in Central Kalimantan, where fires in surrounding peatlands had filled the area with haze.

Authorities moved quickly to bring her to safety. Only during the evacuation did they discover that Raya was carrying a baby, a one-year-old female later named Rayu after her mother. Both were taken to a clinic for observation.

Muriansyah, an official with the local natural resources conservation agency, told AFP that he feared for the animal’s safety if the rescue had not gone ahead. A preliminary veterinary examination found that neither orangutan had suffered injuries or serious effects from the smoke.

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If we did not carry out the rescue, I feared for the orangutan's safety.

Officials said the pair could be released back into the wild if they are healthy enough. The rescue came as Indonesia struggled for weeks to contain fires covering parts of Borneo and Sumatra. Thick smoke also drifted across borders into Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.

At least seven orangutans were rescued from fires in West Kalimantan last month. The species is endemic to the forests of Sumatra and Borneo, an island shared by Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. Population estimates cited in the report put the number at about 57,000 in Borneo in 2016 and roughly 11,000 in Sumatra, based on an Indonesian study conducted between 2021 and 2023.

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If they are healthy and can be released immediately into the wild, they will be released.