Orangutan Handed Over To Conservation Agency In Central Kalimantan

SAMPIT, C Kalimantan, March 21 (Antara) - An orangutan has been handed over by a local resident of Kotawaringin Timur Regency to the Central Kalimantan Natural Resource Conservation Agency (BKSDA). "A resident found the orangutan in the forest and then kept it in his home for 25 days before handing it over to us," Muriansyah, the agency's commander of the guard post, stated here on Monday. The male orangutan, which is estimated to be 1.5 years old, appeared healthy and is being taken care by the local residents. The orangutan was immediately taken to Pangkalan Bun in the Kotawaringin Barat Regency to undergo a medical examination and will be rehabilitated. If it has the skills to live independently, it will be released into the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve. In 2017, seven orangutans had been handed over to the province's BKSDA due to high awareness among the local people to rescue and restore the endangered species to its natural habitat in the forest. The natural habitat of orangutans in Kotawaringin Timur has been destroyed due to the clearing of forests for various economic purposes, such as for palm oil plantations and illegal logging activities. As a result, the orangutans were starving and had to venture out of the woods in search of food in the neighboring area.