Enviro News Asia, Kutai Timur– The East Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA Kaltim), in collaboration with the Kelinjau Production Forest Management Unit (KPHP) and the Centre for Orangutan Protection (COP), successfully released three individual orangutans back into their natural habitat on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. The release took place in the Gunung Batu Mesangat Protected Forest in Busang district, Kutai Timur regency, East Kalimantan, managed by KPHP Kelinjau.
The three orangutans, named Bagus, Eboni, and Ruby, share similar backgrounds as animals previously kept as pets by members of the public before being rescued. Bagus was rescued by BKSDA Kaltim in early September 2020 in Merabu village, Berau; Eboni was evacuated in late April 2022 in Long Beliu village, Berau; and Ruby was evacuated in early April 2024 in Sekurau Atas Preparation Village, Kutai Timur.
Head of BKSDA Kaltim M. Ari Wibawanto said the release reflects the Ministry of Forestry’s commitment to Bornean orangutan conservation.
“This activity is the result of multi-party collaboration among the East Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency, the BP2SDM Regional Training and Human Resource Development Center V Samarinda, the East Kalimantan Provincial Forestry Agency, KPHP Kelinjau, COP, and local communities,” he said.
Before returning to the wild, all three underwent rehabilitation at the Borneo Orangutan Rescue Alliance (BORA). Orangutans that have been kept by humans often lose their wild instincts, including the ability to climb, forage, and build nests. At the rehabilitation center, they went through a series of stages from health checks and forest school sessions to train basic skills, to a four-month pre-release island adaptation period.
“Rehabilitation is a lengthy process requiring two to six years. All three were observed to have adapted and lived independently on the pre-release island and were therefore declared ready to return to the forest,” Ari Wibawanto explained.
A total of 18 rehabilitated orangutans from BORA have now been released in the Gunung Batu Mesangat Protected Forest over the past four years.
Going forward, a monitoring team from COP will track the movements of Bagus, Eboni, and Ruby over the next three months to ensure they remain safe and adapt well to their new home.
The effort to strengthen wild orangutan populations also forms part of a series of activities leading up to National Nature Conservation Day 2026, commemorated annually on August 10. (*)
