Jakarta — Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry has released five rehabilitated orangutans into their natural habitat in Betung Kerihun National Park, West Kalimantan, marking the 18th orangutan release in the conservation area since 2017, the ministry said Thursday, July 2.
The release, carried out on Tuesday, involved one male and four female orangutans: Benazir (14), Jamilah (25) and her infant Ulin (1), as well as Sinta (13) and her infant Sabine (2). The orangutans had undergone intensive rehabilitation at Jerora Forest School and completed medical checks and a month-long pre-release quarantine before being declared fit for release.
The release was coordinated by the Ministry of Forestry through the Natural Resources Conservation Agency of West Kalimantan, in collaboration with the Betung Kerihun and Danau Sentarum National Park Agency and Yayasan Penyelamatan Orangutan Sintang (YPOS/SOC).
The orangutans were released in the Mendalam sub-watershed area of Betung Kerihun after a 10–12-hour land and river journey from Sintang to Putussibau. The site was selected based on ecological studies showing abundant food sources and suitable habitat conditions.
Since the program began in 2017, a total of 44 orangutans have now been released into the national park, including the latest five individuals. Conservation officials said the effort supports both orangutan population recovery and Indonesia’s broader forest conservation goals under the FOLU Net Sink 2030 agenda.
Following the release, monitoring teams will track the orangutans for up to three months using the nest-to-nest method to ensure they can adapt, forage independently, and survive in the wild.
Head of Betung Kerihun and Danau Sentarum National Park, Titik Wurdiningsih, said the releases are vital to ensuring future generations can continue to see orangutans in the wild, while also highlighting the importance of strengthening research, education, and conservation efforts in the region. (nsh)
Banner photo: Ministry of Forestry
