Orangutan Killed as Apes Flee From Burning Forests
10/17/97
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Headline: Orangutan Killed as Apes Flee From Burning Forests
Source: Agence France-Presse
Date: 10/17/97
Copyright 1997 by Agence France-Presse
JAKARTA, Oct 17 (AFP) - Forest fires in the Indonesian province
of East Kalimantan on Borneo island have forced at least 16
orangutans to flee their habitat, leading to the death of one in the
hands of villagers, a report said Friday.
A total of 16 orangutans (Pongo Pigmacus Pygmaeus) have wandered
into human settlements in East Kalimantan following forest fires in
Octover, said Arsyad, manager of the Semboja Wana Riset Orangutan
rehabilitation centre in near Samarinda, the main town of the
province.
Two of them were attacked by villagers who found them wrecking
their plantation and one of them was killed while another one was
gravely wounded, Arsyad was quoted as saying by the Antara news
agency.
He said the rest had been rescued, included the wounded, and
were now at the rehabilitation center for the past 10 days.
The apes are believed to have fled fires in their home forest in
the 200,000 hectare (494,000 acre) Kutai National Park, in the
district of Kutai, he added.
Widespread forest fires in Indonesian during the current
drought has released smoke which has covered the sky over a larg
part of Southeast Asian and caused serious transportation problems
and health concerns.
The Semboja center is one of the country's three orangutan
rehabilitation centers.
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