Indonesia rescues orangutan mother and baby from wildfire haze

A mother-and-baby orangutan pair named Raya and Rayu are evacuated by officials from the Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), Indonesian military and the Orangutan Foundation International (OFI) due to forest and land fires in East Kotawaringin, Central Kalimantan, on September 2, 2026. Indonesian authorities rescued a mother orangutan and her baby from wildfire smoke on the island of Borneo, officials said on Sept 3. - Photo: AFP

INDONESIA: Indonesian authorities rescued a mother orangutan and her baby from wildfire smoke on the island of Borneo, officials said Thursday (Sept 3).

The vast archipelago has been battling for weeks to contain wildfires that have left thick smog blanketing parts of Borneo and Sumatra, with haze also drifting across the border to Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.

Acting on a tip-off, conservation officials located the orangutan on Wednesday in Central Kalimantan province after it was spotted clinging to the top of a tree, local conservation agency official Muriansyah told AFP on Thursday.

The animal was surrounded by haze rising from nearby burned peatland, prompting officials to evacuate it immediately.

"If we don't carry out the rescue, I was concerned for (the safety) of the orangutan," Muriansyah, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, said, citing the potential health risks posed by the smog.

During the operation, rescuers discovered the orangutan was carrying a baby.

Officials named the mother, estimated to be 20 years old, Raya after a nearby street where she was found, and her one-year-old daughter, Rayu, Muriansyah added.

A mother-and-baby orangutan pair named Raya and Rayu are evacuated by officials from the Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), Indonesian military and the Orangutan Foundation International (OFI) due to forest and land fires in East Kotawaringin, Central Kalimantan, on Sept 2, 2026. Indonesian authorities rescued a mother orangutan and her baby from wildfire smoke on the island of Borneo, officials said on September 3. - Photo: AFP

He said recently burned terrain and darkness added to the complexity of the nighttime rescue operation.

A preliminary veterinary check-up found the orangutans were not injured, and that they had not been seriously affected by the smoke, Muriansyah said.

The orangutans were then transported to a clinic for observation, said Heriyanto, a Central Kalimantan province natural resources and conservation agency official.

"If they are healthy and can be released into the wild immediately, they will be released," Heriyanto told AFP.

Authorities in West Kalimantan rescued at least seven orangutans from wildfire-affected areas last month.

Among them was an orangutan named Sampurna, which was rescued on August 30 amid thick smoke from the fires, according to a statement from the local conservation agency.

A 2016 government survey estimated the orangutan population on Borneo to be around 57,000. - AFP