Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 3 hrs ago
Fires in West Kalimantan threaten Bornean orangutans
Forest and peatland fires are burning across West Kalimantan, on the Indonesian part of Borneo.
The fires have burned 48,536 hectares this year, with Ketapang district among the hardest-hit areas.
Rescue teams saved 53 Bornean orangutans between August 1 and October 21, in joint operations by local authorities and the YIARI wildlife group.
The fires destroy orangutans’ homes and food, block their routes between groups, and can injure or kill them directly.
Veterinarians treat rescued animals for burns, injuries and hunger, giving them fluids and oxygen when needed.
Bornean orangutans are critically endangered, and fires add to the threats facing the species, which is found only on Borneo.
Fires have burned 48,536 hectares in Indonesia’s West Kalimantan province in 2026, threatening orangutans and other wildlife.
Joint operations by YIARI and local environment authorities rescued 53 Bornean orangutans between Aug. 1 and Oct. 21.
The fires destroy habitat and food, and can injure or kill orangutans directly.
Ketapang district was hit hardest, with 12,443 hectares burned as of September.
- Who
- Bornean orangutans, rescued by teams from YIARI and the West Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency.
- What
- Fires are destroying orangutan habitat and food, while rescue teams are treating and evacuating animals.
- When
- In 2026; 53 orangutans were rescued between Aug. 1 and Oct. 21.
- Where
- West Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo, particularly Ketapang district.
- Why
- The fires threaten orangutans by destroying their homes and food and by injuring or killing them.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Joint emergency operations by BKSDA and YIARI rescued 53 Bornean orangutans from fires.
A fire burned at a palm oil plantation in Sungai Putri village, Ketapang Regency.
Veterinarians treated a female orangutan and her baby after rescuing them from a burned area in Pelang village.
Ketapang district had 12,443 hectares burned.
- Area burned in West Kalimantan
- 48,536 hectares in 2026
- Orangutans rescued
- 53 between Aug. 1 and Oct. 21, 2026
- Hardest-hit district
- Ketapang
- Area burned in Ketapang
- 12,443 hectares as of September
- Rescue organizations
- BKSDA and YIARI
What people are saying
This makes it very hard to use the dart safely and creates serious risks when the animal falls.
The physical condition of the rescued animals varies a lot, but many come in very thin from lack of food and covered in injuries.