East Kutai. From January to February, the Conservation and Natural Resources Center of East Kalimantan rescued 37 orangutans in East Kutai and Kutai Kartanegara districts.

Ari Wibawanto, Head of the Conservation and Natural Resources Center, said the rescue efforts were divided into three categories: the translocation of 28 orangutans, rehabilitation of five orangutans, and the release of four orangutans.

In the evacuation process, the Conservation Center was assisted by the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF), the Centre for Orangutan Protection (COP), and the Conservation Action Network Borneo (CAN Borneo). The forests used for translocation and release were Kehje Sewen Forest managed by Restorasi Habitat Orangutan Indonesia (RHOI), Gunung Mesangat by The Centre for Orangutan Protection, and Kutai National Park, managed by the National Park.

“We conduct mitigation efforts related to the welfare of the animals, especially the orangutans. Based on reports from the public, there were orangutans involved in conflicts, damaging crops. Some also entered mining areas,” he said on Wednesday.

Most of the orangutans that were successfully rescued were in the Perdau area of East Kutai. One of them went viral on social media after allegedly entering the coal mining area of Kaltim Prima Coal (KPC).

“Out of the 28 translocations, 70 percent were evacuated from the Perdau area and the East Kutai Poros Road,” he added.

Orangutan Rescue Forum in High-Risk Areas: “Keraitan Landscape”

The growing number of orangutan conflict reports in East Kutai calls for the formation of a forum for orangutan rescue in high-risk areas by the Conservation Center and orangutan researchers.

Ari said this rescue effort is not the last, but rather a long process. Given the large number of conflicts, they are organizing rescue efforts by designing a meta-population of orangutans.

According to him, the rapid pace of development should be balanced with environmental safety, especially in maintaining wildlife habitats.

“We need to consider how the development process must align with environmental preservation. We are striving to involve all stakeholders, particularly those in the Keraitan Landscape, which holds the largest orangutan meta-population in East Kutai,” he said.

The Keraitan Landscape covers the Perdau area to Bengalon, which is both the habitat and the orangutans' roaming territory, with a significant potential for conflict.

To prevent conflicts, his team continues to patrol high-risk areas. They also quickly respond to any reports from the public regarding conflicts and orangutan sightings.

“This effort is aimed at ensuring the welfare of the animals, especially orangutans, to live properly in the wild,” he added.

Orangutan Sightings in Coal Mining Areas

Wahyuni, COP Communication Manager, said orangutan translocation is part of the rescue effort after their habitat has been destroyed. Their team frequently carries out translocations from coal mining areas in collaboration with the Conservation Center.

“We fully support orangutan rescue efforts and are ready to monitor the translocated orangutans in the Gunung Batu Mesangat Protected Forest, East Kutai. From January 2025 to the present, there have been 16 translocated orangutans. All of them have lost their habitat,” said Wahyuni.

Kiagus Nirwan, KPC’s Environmental Manager, mentioned that the translocation process involves many considerations, including negative interactions between humans and the animals.

“Translocation can be done if there is a negative interaction between the wildlife and humans. This is carried out by coordinating with the authorities responsible for wildlife protection, in this case, the Conservation and Natural Resources Center,” said Nirwan.

Recently, a video of an adult male orangutan in a coal mining concession area in East Kalimantan went viral on social media on Wednesday, February 5.

The video shows the orangutan walking in front of an excavator that was operating in East Kutai Regency. The animal appears confused, moving back and forth, reacting to the noise of the heavy machinery.

“When I saw that video, an ordinary person can easily enter the area, so it shouldn’t be at KPC. But we are in the process of identifying it,” said Kiagus.

The area of KPC’s concession covers 90,938 hectares in East Kutai Regency. KPC manages one of the world’s largest open-pit mines, with a production capacity of 70 million tons of coal annually.