Bornean orangutan
Five rehabilitated Bornean orangutans have returned to the Kalimantan rainforest, a rare piece of good news in a difficult time for one of Indonesia’s most important wild species.
Bornean Orangutans Released in Kalimantan
The release took place at Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park in early 2026, after the Bornean orangutans completed a long rehabilitation process at the Nyaru Menteng center in Central Kalimantan. The group included three females and two males: Himba, Lykke, Farida, Nett, and Semeru.
Himba, a 15-year-old male, was rescued as an infant after suffering severe burns from a forest fire. Lykke, a 23-year-old female, spent nearly 22 years learning how to survive independently after she was rescued with her mother.
The Kalimantan release was the 47th joint operation between the Central Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency and the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation. Rescue, rehabilitation, and release are now a working part of Indonesia’s conservation system.
But rescues would be far less necessary if forests were safer.
Tapanuli Orangutans Still Under Threat
In North Sumatra’s Batang Toru ecosystem, new research warned that landslides after Cyclone Senyar may have killed around 58 Tapanuli orangutans. That is about 7 percent of the species’ entire wild population.
The Tapanuli orangutan is the world’s rarest great ape. It was recognized as a separate species only in 2017, and fewer than 800 are believed to remain. They survive only in three isolated forest blocks in Batang Toru. That makes every loss serious.
Researchers used satellite imagery and models to assess the November 2025 rainfall, identifying over 50,000 landslides and about 8,300 hectares of damaged forest in the West Block.
Beyond habitat loss, climate-driven disasters can quickly devastate fragile populations. For slow-breeding species, such losses are severe and long-lasting.
Wildlife Crime in Aceh
In Aceh, a court recently sentenced Agussalim to three years in prison for smuggling protected wildlife. The case involved a female Sumatran orangutan, Sumatran leaf monkeys, hornbills, birds of paradise, parrots, and other protected animals.
The seized animals reportedly came from several Indonesian regions, including Sumatra, Sulawesi, Maluku, and Papua. This suggests a broader wildlife trade network moving animals across islands and toward foreign markets.
Aceh has also seen recent BKSDA interventions involving orangutans found in plantation or community farming areas. One young male found in Nagan Raya was dehydrated, thin, and injured, and was sent for intensive care.
Indonesia can celebrate every orangutan that returns to the forest. But the real victory will be when fewer are burned, trafficked, displaced, or trapped in the first place.
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