Orangutans released back into Borneo forest after devastating fires

Eight orangutans have been published back into the wild in Borneo after they were taken into captivity when their habitat was threatened by wildfires over the summer.

Key points

• Around 104, 000 orangutans remain in Borneo and Sumatra, down from more than 230, 000 a century ago, according to conservation group WWF.
• Last month, the International Union for Conservation of Nature cautioned that wildfires were burning in habitats containing 52% of Borneo's orangutan population.
• Yiari CEO Karmele Llano Sanchez remarked relocating the eight orangutans to the reserve was a "necessary step" when their habitats became unsafe.
• Among them was Mama Nopi and her offspring Nopi, Naufal and Nopan.
• Indonesian authorities rescued 46 orangutans from fires in August and September.

Three mothers, their three daughters and two adult males were freed in a reserve in the west of the island on Friday, International Animal Rescue Indonesia (Yiari) and the forestry ministry remarked.

Indonesian authorities rescued 46 orangutans from fires in August and September. Wildfires in the region are usual for the country's dry season but intensified this year.

Meanwhile, the apes are critically endangered. Around 104, 000 orangutans remain in Borneo and Sumatra, down from more than 230, 000 a century ago, according to conservation group WWF.

While Indonesia is among plenty of countries to grapple with wildfires each summer, this year's were more intense due to the El Niño ocean warming phenomenon. It makes weather patterns more volatile and intense.

Among them was Mama Nopi and her offspring Nopi, Naufal and Nopan. This person had been surviving in a coconut and rubber plantation before their rescue in early September, Yiari remarked.

Fires had incinerated the surrounding forestry, restricting their access to food and bringing them closer to humans.

Mama Lifa and her child Lifa were discovered in a patch of acacia trees entirely surrounded by oil palm plantations.

Meanwhile, the degradation of their habitat by wildfires as well as a lack of food sources prompted their rescue in mid-September.

When they were discovered living in a plantation area adjacent to a small patch of forest, mama Man and her baby, Man, had been monitored by animal rescuers since June.

Fires that spread near to the site restricted their roaming area further, leaving them without a safe route to other forestry. The threat of exposure to the blazes led to them being evacuated in early September, Yiara remarked.

Notably, the reserve these orangutans were published into was chosen as it there is food and water available and it is connected to other forested areas.

Yiari's Argitoe Ranting remarked: "We want to ensure that rescued orangutans are not simply moved from one place to another, but actually have a chance to survive in their natural habitat."

It notes a substantial portion of the ape's habitat will become inhospitable to them if climate change continues at its current pace.

This year's El Niño has become the strongest on record and is projected to have a knock-on effect on the climate into next year.

Experts have additionally pointed to land-clearing practices employed to create room for plantations as another factor facilitating the spread of wildfires in Indonesia, with naturally fire-resistant forests replaced by less dense and shaded vegetation.

That the orangutan's original habitats had been burned and fragmented to the point they could no longer sustain the primates was the main driving factor behind relocating them, Yiara remarked.

Taken together, the developments around orangutans released back into Borneo forest after devastating fires point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.