East Kutai, East Kalimantan. The labyrinth of life for orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus morio) in East Kalimantan Province is becoming more confined. The forests that once served as their home continue to shrink, leaving their vast habitats, spanning thousands of kilometers, no longer accessible. With nowhere else to turn, these orangutans are now forced to face the encroaching threat of mining operations.

A recent sighting of an adult male orangutan in a coal mining concession area in East Kalimantan went viral on social media on Wednesday, Feb. 5.

The video shows an orangutan walking in front of an excavator that was mining in East Kutai Regency. The animal seemed confused, moving back and forth, reacting to the sounds of heavy machinery at work.

Netizens captured this moment. The orangutan was seen moving towards a cliff while watching the excavator from above. Its gaze seemed vacant as its habitat had now become a mining area. The noisy coal excavation disturbed its life, and the orangutan left, searching for a forest to return to.

The video was allegedly taken in the concession area of one of the largest coal mines in East Kutai Regency, East Kalimantan. Arian, a resident of Sangatta, East Kutai, said that seeing orangutans entering the mining areas is not a new sight. Since the beginning of 2025, videos of orangutans wandering in the mining concession area have appeared numerous times.

“Orangutans entering the mine is common here because the area being mined used to be their forest habitat. Orangutans will come back to check their old ranges, even though they have now turned into mines,” he told the Jakarta Globe on Saturday.

Netizens speculated that the area in the viral video might belong to the Bakrie Group's Kaltim Prima Coal  (KPC). Kiagus Nirwan, the Environmental Manager of KPC, said they were in the process of identifying whether the video was indeed filmed in the company's mining area.

“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.

The plight of orangutans in East Kalimantan is heartbreaking. It is not uncommon for these animals to intentionally wander into mining sites to "beg" for food from workers. When they accidentally enter these areas, the loud and chaotic mining activities often frighten them, leading to stress.

“People understand that orangutans are protected animals, but the sight we often see is that orangutans play in the coal mines. It’s because that used to be their home,” said Anshar, an environmental activist in Samarinda.

Some orangutans have also been known to damage palm oil plantations and farms. In the past, they were often regarded as pests and were even killed for destroying crops in these areas.

“In 2012, there was an incident of orangutan slaughter in Puan Cepak Village, Kutai Kartanegara Regency. There were also cases in East Kutai where residents killed an orangutan for damaging their palm oil plantations,” said Awaljalil, an orangutan activist in Samarinda.

Search for Orangutans in Mining Locations

The East Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency quickly responded to reports from the public regarding the presence of orangutans in the mining area of East Kutai Regency. The conservation team immediately traveled to East Kutai to conduct a search at the reported location.

“We always respond quickly to any reports we receive from the public regarding the presence of protected animals. Our team moved swiftly to the mining area in East Kutai Regency,” said Ari Wibawanto, Head of the East Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency.

Currently, they are still tracking the whereabouts of the viral orangutan, as these animals tend to move around. In addition to the mining areas, the conservation agency is also focusing on the presence of orangutans in plantation areas.

“Actually, it’s not just the mining areas that are our focus,” added Ari.

Recently, orangutans have been found in East Kutai and Kutai Kartanegara. Once found, the orangutans will be checked for their health. If they are healthy, they will be released back into their natural habitat in the Busang and Muara Wahau forests.

Ari said that orangutans are not only symbols of natural wealth but also play a crucial role in maintaining the ecosystem balance of the forest. “Conserving orangutans is not just the responsibility of the government but also of all members of society,” said Ari.

Orangutan Protection Efforts

In East Kalimantan Province, there are four foundations that act as rehabilitation and rescue centers for orangutans. They are the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF), Jejak Pulang Foundation, Arsari Djojohadikusumo Foundation, and Centre for Orangutan Protection (COP).

These four foundations are partners of the Natural Resources Conservation Agency. Orangutans rescued from mining areas will be entrusted to these partners according to the needs of the rescued orangutans.

The Arsari Djojohadikusumo Foundation has built an Orangutan Sanctuary Center that serves as a home for adult orangutans that can no longer be released. This foundation collaborates with the Nusantara Capital Authority. The Arsari Foundation is developing small islands in Balikpapan Bay to serve as sanctuaries for orangutans that cannot be reintroduced into the wild.

Before being moved to the sanctuary island, the Arsari Foundation will conduct feasibility tests and ensure the islands meet the required standards for orangutan habitation.

“There are already three orangutans at the Arsari Foundation Sanctuary: Beni, Boni, and Bento. Soon, two more orangutans will arrive—Dodo from Sukabumi and Nungki from West Kalimantan,” said Berkat Gulo, the Director of Environmental Affairs at the Arsari Foundation.

Unlike the Arsari Foundation, the other three foundations are rehabilitation centers equipped with forest school facilities. BOSF and Jejak Pulang are located in the Nusantara area, while COP is based in Berau Regency.

These four foundations are ready to take in orangutans evacuated by the Conservation Agency. Jejak Pulang, BOSF, and COP provide education for babies or orphaned orangutans. The orangutans are taught how to find food, build nests, and survive in the wild from a young age. Once they are deemed capable of surviving in the wild, the orangutans will be released into designated relocation forests.

The forests designated for their release include the Kehje Sewen Forest in East Kutai Regency, which spans 86,450 hectares. This forest is managed by Restorasi Habitat Orangutan Indonesia (RHOI). Additionally, there is the Labanan Special Purpose Forest Area, a research forest located in Berau Regency.

In 2016, the most recent official data available, the Indonesian Orangutan Forum (FORINA) published a Population and Habitat Viability Analysis (PHVA) for wild orangutans in Kalimantan, estimating their population at approximately 57,350 individuals. This marks a dramatic decline of 80 percent from the 1973 estimate of 288,500, highlighting the critical loss of orangutan populations in less than 50 years.