Sampit, Central Kalimantan. A citizen of Central Kalimantan’s East Kotawaringin district on Wednesday returned to the local conservation center a stray baby orangutan whose parents apparently were killed at a local plantation.

“The male orangutan is in a healthy condition. He was handed to us by Hairil, the leader of Menjalin village in East Kotawaringin,” Muriansyah, the chief of the conservation center, said on Wednesday.

Muriansyah said that the orangutan was estimated to be not older than 1 year old, judging from his teeth and body structure.

“We will immediately transfer the baby orangutan to Pangkalan Bun inWest Kotawaringin district for further medical examination,” Muriansyah said, adding that the orangutan would also be quarantined for a while until he was deemed fit to be released in the wild.

According to Hairil, one of the people in his village had rescued the baby orangutan at a plantation, where the animal’s parents were found dead, apparently after being shot.

“This is the first time we found an orangutan in our area,” Hairil said. “I’ve told my people to not catch or kill any orangutan they see at their plantations.”

Orangutans have long been legally protected in Indonesia but scientists say that up to 2,500 orangutans are killed every year in Kalimantan alone.

 

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