Asia
Wildlife organization Yayasan Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia has rescued seven orangutans from fires so far, as the country battles to contain haze from forest and land fires
An orangutan, named Sampurna, receives emergency treatments after being rescued, at a palm-oil plantation near an area affected by wildfires, in Kuala Satong village, Ketapang regency, West Kalimantan province, Indonesia, on Aug 30, 2026. (Photo: Reuters/Willy Kurniawan)
30 Aug 2026 05:35PM
KETAPANG, Indonesia: On Sunday (Aug 30) morning, 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 107,465 burned hectares from January to June.
