Orangutan rescued from fire zone in Indonesia’s Borneo, battles respiratory illness

KETAPANG, Indonesia – On the morning of Aug 30, Jais, a farmer in Ketapang, West Kalimantan on Borneo island – the province hardest-hit by raging forest fires – was en route to his farm when he found an orangutan writhing on the ground in a weak state on a palm-oil plantation near the fire site.“It was very weak, then I gave it water,” said Jais, who only goes by one name.Indonesia has intensified efforts to contain haze from forest and land fires across six provinces in Borneo and Sumatra islands after smoke triggered respiratory illnesses and forced thousands of schools to move classes online, including in neighbouring Malaysia.Wildfires burned at least 202,010ha of land from January to July, according to Indonesia’s Forestry Ministry, increasing from 107,465ha from January to June.After finding the orangutan, Jais and other residents immediately called for help.Some two hours later, a wildlife foundation – Yayasan Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia – arrived with a veterinarian to provide the animal with treatment. It had fainted by then.The orangutan was then named Sampurna, after the village where it was found.Foundation chief executive officer Karmele Llano Sanchez said the orangutan fainted because it did not get enough oxygen.“The orangutan got hypoxia because of the very thick smoke in the area,” Sanchez told Reuters.Komara, the veterinarian, said the orangutan did not have any severe burn-related injuries. But it had breathing problems and had vomited.“We suspected it was suffering from an acute respiratory infection,” he said, adding that the orangutan is around 20 years old.At the palm-oil plantation, the orangutan lay on a net, appearing weak with its eyes closed. The veterinarian gave the orangutan oxygen through small tubes placed in its nose.Sampurna received fluids through an intravenous drip, with a makeshift infusion bag hanging from a palm-oil frond.The animal will be moved to a rehabilitation centre to get more treatment, she said.It will be released back into the wild once it recovers, said Komara, adding that they have rescued seven orangutans due to fires so far.Sanchez warned that the government must not only focus on containing fires, but prepare for the long-term effects on public health, forests and wildlife. REUTERS