Nine orangutans rescued from fires climbed into a Ketapang forest

Nine orangutans rescued from fires in Ketapang climbed into Batu Nyambu Protected Forest on October 29. The Straits Times reported the release on October 30, 2026. Four were mothers with their young. Karmele Llano Sanchez, who leads the rehabilitation group YIARI, told reporters that some animals had burns on their hands and feet and some were thin from lack of food. They spent four to eight weeks at a center in Ketapang.

Veterinarian Ishma Maula said the orangutans were extremely stressed in quarantine and showed behavior that was not normal, so the team released them as soon as it had a forest that was safe. Batu Nyambu covers about 23,000 hectares and still has food and cover. Reaching the site took a car, a kayak, and hours of walking with the cages. A final health check found that three of the mothers were pregnant. One of them is Mama Ocha, released with her baby, Ocha. Sanchez said the team would stay nearby so she could give birth safely. This is a later group than the eight orangutans released in the same forest on October 9. The news is these nine. It is not a new total for Borneo's orangutans.