Saving Sampurna: Farmer rescues weakened orangutan from forest fires in Indonesia's Borneo

An orangutan, named Sampurna, receives emergency treatments after being rescued, at a palm-oil plantation near an area affected by wildfires, in Kuala Satong village, Ketapang regency, West Kalimantan province, Indonesia, on Aug 30, 2026. (Photo: Reuters/Willy Kurniawan)

KETAPANG, Indonesia: On Sunday (Aug 30) morning, Jais, a farmer in Ketapang, West Kalimantan on Borneo island - the province hardest-hit by raging forest fires - was en route to his farm when he found an orangutan writhing on the ground in a weak state on a palm-oil plantation near the fire site.

Indonesia has intensified efforts to contain haze from forest and land fires across six provinces in Borneo and Sumatra islands after smoke triggered respiratory illnesses and forced thousands of schools to move classes online, including in neighbouring Malaysia.

Wildfires burned at least 202,010ha of land from January to July, according to Indonesia's Forestry Ministry, increasing from 107,465 burned hectares from January to June.

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less After finding the orangutan, Jais and other residents immediately called for help.

About two hours later, a wildlife foundation - Yayasan Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia - arrived with a veterinarian to provide the animal with treatment. It had fainted by then.

Foundation CEO Karmele Llano Sanchez said the orangutan fainted because it did not get enough oxygen.

"The orangutan got hypoxia because of the very thick smoke in the area," Sanchez told Reuters.

Komara, the veterinarian, said the orangutan did not have any severe burn-related injuries. But it had breathing problems and had vomited.

"We suspected it was suffering from an acute respiratory infection," he said, adding that the orangutan is around 20 years old.

At the palm-oil plantation, the orangutan lay on a net, appearing weak with its eyes closed. The veterinarian gave the orangutan oxygen through small tubes placed in its nose.

Sampurna received fluids through an intravenous drip, with a makeshift infusion bag hanging from a palm-oil frond.