A large male orangutan is rescued for a second time as his habitat continues to be destroyed.
UNITED KINGDOM / AGILITYPR.NEWS / January 15, 2021 /
A large male orangutan is rescued for the second time as his habitat continues to be destroyed.
Photos and footage of recent rescue,copyright IAR Indonesia:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/lbjpdoztzsbeusk/AAAJnrUcZxB9qQ6rnY0mKnNya?dl=0
Photos and footage of previous rescue, copyright IAR Indonesia:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ptks9ikusfxdddr/AABv_g4x3_yiGwZdmAOmwfG8a?dl=0
West Borneo, Indonesia: A team from International Animal Rescue (IAR) Indonesia and the Wildlife Rescue Unit (WRU) of the Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) has rescued a large male orangutan for the second time. He was given the name Boncel when he was first found in a remote village in Matan Hilir Selatan District, Ketapang Regency, West Borneo.
This time, after Boncel had been captured, he was taken by the rescue team to a more remote part of the forest to ensure he doesn’t leave the forest again and return to the village.
The Head of the BKSDA, Sadtata Noor Adirahmanta, expressed his appreciation for the quick response to this situation. "The repeated translocation of this orangutan shows that efforts to preserve wild endangered species require the cooperation of all parties. The community can support these efforts by themselves working to repair wildlife habitats and prevent further damage to them," he said.
Boncel had been translocated from land belonging to residents in the village of Sungai Besar to the surrounding forest in mid-August last year. The translocation was done in order to mitigate conflict with local villagers and take the orangutan back safely to the forest. Satellite imagery showed that the distance from the village to the forest was too far simply to drive the orangutan back on foot. The translocation in August went smoothly.
Although these translocations save individual orangutans’ lives by moving them to safety in the forest, these actions are only a temporary solution. This was proved when in early November 2020, IAR’s Orangutan Protection Unit (OPU) patrol team again received information regarding the orangutan entering the land belonging to residents in Sungai Pelang Village. The team immediately set off to verify the report and, on 11 November 2020, they discovered one individual male orangutan eating the villagers’ pineapple plants. After observation and identification, they were able to confirm that this was Boncel, who had previously been rescued from the village of Sungai Besar and translocated by a team from the WRU of BKSDA and IAR Indonesia on 18 August.
Consequently, the BKSDA’s WRU team and IAR Indonesia translocated Boncel for a second time. The operation, which took more than seven hours, again went smoothly. IAR’s veterinarian examined Boncel's condition and stated that the orangutan, who is estimated to be around 30-40 years old, is in good health and was fit to be translocated immediately.
The BKSDA commented that the threat to the survival of the orangutan species has increased since the widespread fires that destroyed vast swathes of its forest habitat in the Ketapang area in 2019. The devastation and deforestation of the land led to many orangutans being left without food and shelter. Orangutans were driven out of their natural habitat after the forest was destroyed and strayed into local villages in search of food, bringing them into contact with local people which resulted in conflict that risked harming both the orangutans and the villagers.
Alan Knight OBE, IAR Chief Executive, said: “We hope that this time Boncel will remain safely in the forest where he belongs. However, while the orangutans’ habitat continues to be destroyed, the risk of animals straying into villages in search of food will remain. The real solution lies in protecting and preserving the remaining forest habitat so that orangutans and other wildlife can live and thrive there, out of harm’s way.
Ends.
For further information please contact Lis Key at IAR on +44 7957 824379.
www.internationalanimalrescue.org/orangutan-sanctuary
Wild orangutan Boncel enjoying the villagers' pineapples before he was caught and taken to a release site deep in the forest.
About Us
Our vision is a world where humans and animals coexist in sustainable ecosystems. Our mission is to build awareness and implement effective systems such that habitats and animals are protected.
At International Animal Rescue we not only save animals from suffering, we also rehabilitate and release them back into the wild and work to protect their precious natural habitats. Our work includes cutting free and caring for captive bears in India and Armenia, rescuing and rehabilitating orangutans and other primates in Indonesia and treating injured and orphaned howler monkeys in Costa Rica. Our aim is to return animals to their natural environment wherever possible, but we also provide a permanent home for those that can no longer fend for themselves.
As human populations expand, wildlife comes under increasing threat. By rescuing individual animals belonging to species like the orangutan and reintroducing them into protected areas in the wild, our work also plays a role in the conservation of the species as a whole.
Contacts
Lis Key
Media and Communications Manager
lis@internationalanimalrescue.orgPhone: 07957 824379 Mobile: 07957 824379
www.internationalanimalrescue.org