Rescuers release eight orangutans into Borneo forest after summer wildfires

Rescuers have released eight orangutans back into the wild in Borneo after taking them into captivity during intense summer wildfires, BBC News and Shabakat Tawasul News reported. The release occurred on Friday in a reserve located in the west of the island, according to International Animal Rescue Indonesia and the Indonesian forestry ministry. [1][2][3]

The group of released primates included three mothers, their three daughters, and two adult males, BBC News reported. Indonesian authorities rescued a total of 46 orangutans from forest fires during August and September. While seasonal wildfires are regular during the dry season in the region, officials noted that the fires intensified this year. [1]

The haze from the Indonesian forest fires had previously spread across the region, as FTMQ News reported earlier. Malaysian authorities were forced to close schools in Kuala Lumpur and across several states in October due to unhealthy air pollution caused by the transboundary haze. [7]

Orangutans are critically endangered, with around 104,000 remaining in Borneo and Sumatra, BBC News reported. That total is down from more than 230,000 orangutans a century ago, according to conservation data. Borneo itself harbors one of the richest concentrations of biodiversity on the planet, including hundreds of mammal species. [1][6]