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An endangered Borneo orangutan and its baby escaped from raging fires in Indonesia that destroyed their forest habitat - only to be attacked by angry villagers. The malnourished mother and youngster, called Gito, were found distressed and clinging to one another as locals hurled rocks at them and tried to tie them up before they were saved by International Animal Rescue (IAC).
Many apes have fled their forest homes which have been engulfed by fires lit to clear land, only to be attacked by villagers, who regard them as pests.
Continue reading, and see link to recent article about the tradition of skinning and blowtorching dogs alive. Asians believe animals taste better that way.
'It was very fortunate our rescue team got there in time, otherwise the orangutans would have been killed,' Karmele Llano Sanchez, IAC's group programme director said.
'The mother was quite skinny because she had not been eating for at least a month since the fires started.'
'The mother was quite skinny because she had not been eating for at least a month since the fires started.'
Rescuers quickly anaesthetised the mother with her frightened baby clinging on tightly throughout.
The adult female was extremely thin but still had milk to nourish the baby. She had some minor skin wounds and the team removed rope that was tied around her wrist.
They checked her over and gave her treatment including intravenous fluids.
As the mother began to recover from sedation, the pair were loaded up and transported to the conservation area of PT KAL, where they are being monitored by the oil palm company’s conservation team and report they are both adapting well.
The UK-headquartered group has conducted more than a dozen operations in the past two months to save orangutans which have strayed out of their natural habitats.
Alan Knight OBE, chief executive of IAR, said: 'We are thrilled with Gito's progress so far.
Transported: The pair were loaded up and transported to the conservation area of PT KAL, where they are being monitored by the oil palm company’s conservation team.
Vulnerable: Fires have spread to protected areas such as national parks and conservation areas. As a result of rapid deforestation and oil palm development in recent years, unprotected habitats have been under huge pressure, putting orangutans at serious risk
'Of course he has a very long way to go in his recover - and a long journey ahead if he is to be rehabilitated and eventually return to the wild - but he is in safe hands now.
'Tragically, Gito won't be the last baby we rescue.
'Our rescue team are risking their lives every day to save orangutans, and there will certainly be more babies orphaned.
'I would just urge the public to continue supporting our work so that we can save as many orangutans' lives as possible.'
Illegal forest and agricultural fires have been lit to clear land for Indonesian plantations, cloaking Southeast Asia in a thick haze for months.
The dry season exacerbates the fires and region-wide pollution. However, in recent days, persistent rains have doused many blazes and cleared the air across vast stretches of Southeast Asia.
Many apes have recently fled their forest homes which have been engulfed by fires set to clear land and headed to villages to find food, but locals view them as pests and there has been an increase in human-animal conflict ©Sonny Tumbelaka (AFP/File)
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